Winter

Shepherd’s Pie

/ andreah94 / Leave a comment

I am half English and grew up eating (and loving) Shepard’s Pie. Every family has their own version of this comfort food! Since I have started cooking, I have created my own version of Shepard’s Pie and I am not sure my Dad is on board with it quite yet (as a good Brit, he does not boast the chili-belly that I inherited from my mother who was raised in Venezuela). I use both lamb and beef, my mother only used beef, generally called Cottage Pie, because she does not care for lamb. You can use whichever you prefer. One day soon I will make it the old-fashioned (and delicious) way by making a stew with the meat, but for now I typically stick with this quicker version for the weekdays. There are a million variations to this and you can try whatever you like (I can’t wait to). You ca:  use mashed sweet potatoes for higher nutrition; use garlic mashed potatoes; make cheesy potatoes, you can use mashed potatoes, parsnips, and turnips; add whatever veggies you would like (or have on hand).  Shepherd’s Pie can literally be whatever your heart desires.

I tend to use lamb because it is leaner (and also the authentic Shepherd’s Pie meat); also, I like to top it with garlic mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. In my mashed potatoes, I sub a good amount of chicken broth for the milk to lower the calories and alleviate dairy-related complications. I also like my meat layer to be pretty saucey so that you can mix the juice with the potatoes.  So this is the version you are getting.

Shepherd’s Pie

For Meat Layer 

One tablespoon Olive oil
One large onion, diced
Four ounces pancetta, small dice (optional)
One large carrot, peeled and chopped
Six cloves garlic, minced
One pound ground lamb (or substitute half with another ground meat)
One cup beef broth (can sub chicken)
Worcestershire
Small handful of sun-dried tomatoes, minced (optional)
Small dash of red wine (optional and to taste)
One to two tablespoons tomato paste ( I like to use about 1.5 and I also like to use sun-dried tomato paste)
Season to taste with the following: Italian seasoning; garlic; salt; white pepper; crushed red pepper flakes, fresh thyme and rosemary (optional)
Two cups frozen peas

For Potatoes

Two pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Three tablespoons unsalted butter
One-Third cup milk (any fat content)
One-half Cup Chicken Broth (adjust more to reach desired consistency)
Kosher salt to taste
Four to Six Cloves Roasted Garlic (can sub garlic paste or just garlic powder)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
One-half Cup Aged Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
One cup Green onions
Sprinkle of Paprika

Note: If you have a large, oven-proof stove-top dish, feel free to use it to make the meat layer and then be the baking vestibule (then you wont lose any flavor).

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the pancetta and brown. Then add the onion, garlic, carrot and saute for a few minutes. Add meat and cook until brown for a few minutes. Add the Worcestershire, Wine, Broth, Sun-Dried tomato paste, herbs and seasoning and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the peas, stir well and reserve.

Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, broth, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork. Sprinkle mashed potatoes with paprika (and cayenne or Sriracha if desired). Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove and top with cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes more (when crust is golden, cheese is melted, and meat stew is boiling). Once you remove the pie, top with green onions (or Chives) and let cool for a few minutes. Serve and Enjoy!

*You can add crispy shallots as garnish as well for a bit of texture.

Beef Stroganoff

/ andreah94 / 1 Comment

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS. I had never made beef stroganoff before, but was craving it. My friend Christine had tried something she really liked so she sent it over to me. I diverged from the recipe, but the technique of making pot roast before making it into stroganoff is just better than any other method of cooking this. This takes all day (though it is not particularly difficult) and is so worth it. The whole house smells like pot roast deliciousness and makes you want to eat everything! It is excellent with roasted broccoli and butternut squash on a cold night! This is also a great way to use up frozen beef in large quantities (which is exactly how I happened to make it the other night).

Beef Stroganoff

Serves Four, with leftovers

about 1-2 lb. whole, well marbled chuck roast
three large white onions
2 ribs celery (cut into inch pieces)
3-4 large carrot (cut into inch pieces)
Thyme (fresh or dried – if using dried use less)
Bay leaf – one or two
Olive oil
Beef or veal stock (1 to 1.5 boxes of Central Market or Pacific beef broth).
Handful of Oven roasted tomatoes (or tomato paste)
Chenin Blanc or other dry white (cognac, sherry or red wine would work too) – I think I use about 1/2 to 3/4 bottle
Worcestershire Sauce to taste
5-8 garlic cloves (depending on taste)
At least a pound of assorted mushrooms (crimini, baby bella, porcini or button mushrooms)
butter
flour
1 lemon, zest removed, reserved and juice reserved
about a half cup (heaping) sour cream
Flat leaf parsley, minced
Salt
Pepper
Grated Parmesan (optional)
2 T. crushed red pepper opt.
Beef or Veal or Mushroom Demi Glace (Williams Sonoma)– optional
Egg pasta (Whole package)

Cut room temperature chuck into cubes, about 2″ maximum, or have your butcher do this for you. Toss these pieces with plenty of salt, fresh ground black pepper and about 3 tablespoons minced thyme. In a large stockpot heat a generous amount of olive oil and brown the beef in batches, reserving meat on a plate once browned. Season and saute the mirepoix in the rendered beef fat and oil, using the sweating vegetables to begin to scrape up the beefy goodness from the bottom, until the onions are glassy. Return the meat to the pan and add stock, tomatoes and wine until just covered add to this about three tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (more or less to taste), a few smashed garlic cloves and a few sprigs of thyme and red pepper. Braise on very low heat at least three hours (six is better).

Remove all of the chuck from the braising liquid, set on a plate, strain the cooking liquid, return to stock pot, begin reducing that liquid.Heat two tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan, season and saute mushrooms with chopped garlic ( I use an additional 3 cloves at least), reserved sliced onion (or additional – I use additional because I like the flavor), and crushed red pepper (to taste) until quite browned, remove mushrooms from the pan. Add two more tablespoons butter to the mushroom pan, allowing it to melt, add about 1/4 c. flour and whisk to make a roux, allow it to color, but not brown. Deglaze that pan with a little extra stock and the lemon juice, scraping up as much as possible. If using demi glace – add now.

Now pour braising liquid into the large saute pan. Continue to cook as long as you can, at least 15 minutes to reduce the liquid until you have about a one and a half cups to two remaining. (Start the pasta water, that will be a good metric to follow). Remove pan from heat, stir in sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. Toss minced zest with minced fresh parsley and Parmesan. Serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash

/ andreah94 / 4 Comments

Apart from zucchini, I do not really harbor much love for the squash family. Given this, my undeniable love affair with butternut squash is something of an anomaly. It is not that I do not eat yellow squash, I just do not do it whole-heartedly. I downright dislike spaghetti squash and eggplant purely on a textural basis. But butternut squash is like a giant, soft, comforting blanket for me for some inexplicable reason. I love roasting it and happily scarfing it down in bite size chunks or pure pleasure. I also love roasting it and turning it into the star of dishes in unexpected ways. It is a great way to “sneak” nutrients into common things such as pizza, pasta, lasagna, risotto, etc. It can be pureed for small children (though it is generally soft enough to eat on its own),  used fortify soups and salads during the fall., and be sweet or savory. It is just a wonderful little powerhouse of flavor and nutrients that I turn to time and again. The only discouraging thing about butternut squash is the time and effort it takes to peel it. I have not mastered this technique yet and, more often than not, I will buy previously diced squash from Whole Foods. Whole Foods also has bags of frozen butternut squash which are great for making a quick, nutritious puree without the torture of cutting the squash! The following method is my favorite way to roast butternut squash.

Roasted Butternut Squash

One pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
One large white onion (or six or seven medium shallots), large dice
One head garlic, minced
Two tablespoons Italian Seasoning or Herbs de Provence
One tablespoon black pepper
One teaspoon White Pepper (optional)
A couple good pinches of salt
Couple glugs good olive oil (regular, basil, garlic, or truffle)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place garlic, butternut squash, and onions in a baking dish. Add oil and spices to taste, sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Bake until golden brown and squash is tender, 40-50 minutes.  Taste and adjust for seasoning preferences.

Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms

/ andreah94 / Leave a comment

Kale has been hard to find for months now due to hard winter freezes on Kale growing fields. I knew that it was scheduled to grace Whole Foods’ shelves again soon, but considering I basically cannot tell you what day it is right now, this date was not on my “need to remember” radar. So a couple days ago, I was buying some bananas and some bread from Whole Foods and the chef in front of me in check-out line had a couple bushels of my favorite green superfood. “You have kale again,” I exclaimed, to which the cashier responded: “Yeah it isn’t it awesome! You have time to run and get some.”  I said it was ok, I wouldn’t be able to use it tonight and he said, “if you go get some, I will give it to you for free.”  Well ok then, off I ran, and a few minutes later Kale was hanging out in my fridge waiting to be cooked. Last night it served as the source of veggies that I have so fervently been missing.

One bunch of Kale, rinsed, stemmed and roughly chopped
Two tablespoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Good amount of Freshly cracked black pepper
One medium Vidalia onion, sliced
One to two tablespoons minced garlic
3.4 pound of cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup of white wine
pinch salt

In a pan, heat a bit of olive oil then add garlic, red pepper flakes, onion and a pinch of salt. After a few minutes add mushrooms and white wine.  Reduce slightly and add Kale stirring once. Cover the pan and allow the Kale to steam. After a few minutes remove cover, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir kale with the onions and mushrooms in the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and serve.

*Can be topped with crispy prosciutto, cranberries, or shaved Parmesan if you like.

Butternut Squash Penne with Shrimp and Greens

/ andreah94 / Leave a comment

So Wendy Davis screwed up my summer (not to mention screwed Texas) with a filibuster so when the leg adjourned Sine Die and announced they would be back the next day, I was less than thrilled. D wanted to know what I wanted to do, which really was curl in a ball and cry whilst simultaneously working out and getting a massage. You see, when you are sitting in an uncomfortable chair for 18 hours a day for about two weeks (straight) your body aches like you have the flu. Not to mention my derriere is now competing for Kim Kardashian status (except not as toned) and I need vegetables like regular people need water. So instead of crawling in bed and catching up on desperately needed sleep (only after I cried myself to exhaustion of course), I poured an ice cold beer and decided I very badly wanted to see my Sarah, hang out with D, go to the grocery store for a proper shopping trip, and cook a homemade meal – veggies inclusive. Being that I was not in any sort of mental state to be decisive about what I wanted to make, I made a small list of seemingly healthy dishes (since the special session will keep me out of the gym, and full of crap food from a box, meaning the pounds will keep adding up) that would provide flavor and nutrition. Once at the store I decided that I would make one of two things and got ingredients for both in the hopes that if I double prep, maybe tomorrow I can throw together whichever I do not make tonight. On the menu: Penne with a Butternut Squash sauce and Shrimpies and Greens, Sauteed Kale with Mushrooms, and Steamed Beets and Carrots. Dinner was awesome. Veggies were awesome. The mess I made was awesome. Standing up was awesome. Hanging out with Sarah, D and Reagan (he made a surprise appearance) was awesome! Then I passed out – which was also awesome.

Butternut Squash Penne with Shrimp and Greens

One three-pound butternut squash
Half pound to three quarters of Penne Pasta
A few good handfuls spinach
A few good handfuls of Arugula
About 3/4 cup of shredded smoked provolone and shredded Pecorino Romano
4 cups chicken broth
1/8 cup half and half, plus 1/8 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup basil, chopped
six garlic cloves, minced
4 large shallots, mined or sliced
red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 cup white wine
couple of pinches salt
3 tablespoons herbs de provence
Cayenne to taste
Two tablespoons ricotta cheese

For butternut Squash

Preheat oven to 400. Cut squash (peeled) into half-inch dice and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil (flavoured if you like), and toss with salt, pepper, cayenne and herbs de provence. Add 3 tablespoons shallots and 2 tablespoons garlic to pan and mix well. Bake on 400 for about 25 minutes until squash is soft.

For the Sauce

Once the butternut squash is done, spoon the contents of the baking sheet into a food processor. Add half and half, almond milk, and ricotta cheese and blend well (if you would like a thinner sauce add a little bit of broth reserved from cooking the pasta as well).

For the dish

Cook pasta in boiling broth until al dente.

In a pan, heat a bit of olive oil and add remaining shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook until just glassy and add white wine. Add shrimp, searing on each side then transfer the squash sauce to the pan and stir well. Add arugula and spinach to sauce and allow to wilt, add any desired seasoning (i.e. black pepper or salt). Add pasta to the sauce (add pasta broth according to sauce consistency desires) and stir well. Add cheese to pan, stir well to incorporate. Once cheese has melted, top with basil and serve.

* This can also be made with chicken, just like the portion that I made for D because of his seafood aversion. Pancetta could also be crisped and added to this dish. Additionally, if you have dairy aversion – or are vegan – feel free to omit the half and half and use almond or rice milk instead.

Chicken and Dumplings

/ andreah94 / Leave a comment

Night after night of nostalgic food sure is fun! Chicken and Dumplings is another childhood favorite. One of those – I like the one that my momma makes the best and cannot ever stray to far away from it or I will not like it – meals. Everyone has their favorite version and I swear I am not knocking them, but if you put a soup with some dumplings and a bunch of carrots in front of me and call it chicken and dumplings I will make a huge scene about how it is an imposter!!!  (unless the plate is placed in front of me by Thomas Keller or Wylie Dufresne…I will eat anything they place in front of me without a thought in my head except maybe amazement, wonder, and happiness). Proper Chicken and Dumplings. I tried for years (before I actually knew how to cook) to make this like my momma and never could so, brimming with disappointment,  I put the idea , along with the heart-healthy Bisquick, on the shelf for a while. Then I learned how to cook and decided to try again one night. Much better results but,  still not like momma made it – it was sweeter almost. For comparison sake, soon thereafter I asked my mom to make it for me. I knew almost instantly what the problem was. Verdict: throw out your “healthy” Bisquick and use the regular stuff! Makes all the difference. Now I make them exactly the way I love them (albeit a bit different from my momma’s but there is a very strong resemblance) and there is no low-fat Bisquick involved. If you think about it saying a processed food is more “healthy” than some other processed food is – well – absurd…it is all bad for you so eat it sporadically and, when you do, get the good stuff.

One Box plus 1/2 cup of Good Quality Chicken Stock
2 Bay leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
1.5 – 2 chicken breasts (seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and herbs de provence)
3.5 cups Bisquick mixed with enough water to bind
3 celery stalks, sliced a little under a quarter inch thick
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced
one large shallot, chopped
splash of white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a mixing bowl, mix Bisquick and water until you have a thick dough. Reserve.

Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Season chicken and place in hot oil, brown on each side. Remove from pan and reduce heat so as not to burn the mirepoix. Add garlic, shallots, celery and bay leaves (with a pinch of salt) to the pan and scrape bottom well to coat with chicken bits leftover. After a few minutes, hit the mixture with a splash of white wine and allow to cook off. Pour in all of the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Gently drop dumpling mixture into the liquid a spoonful at a time until it is all gone. Add salt and pepper and stir once. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir again and cover. Continue simmering for another 20 minutes. At some point during the simmer time, slice chicken into thin slices, then cut in half and reserve. About five minutes before the dumplings are ready, add sliced chicken, salt as needed and pepper and stir. Five minutes later and you are done. Good luck not eating the whole pan.

White Bean Soup with Ham, Sausage and Kale

/ andreah94 / 1 Comment

>Easter weekend just passed and it was a very incredible weekend filled with yummy food, time to cook, good wine, mimosas, family (well D’s family not mine but they are wonderful so I am not complaining!), four amazing labs (usually there are six but two stayed in Katy), and plenty of pool/sun time. Post-Easter saw D and I with a fridge that was literally overflowing with leftover food (thanks to D’s generous mom). I had two honey baked hams. One was destined for soups because it had been in the freezer since Christmas and was defrosted for the weekend, but just did not have the right texture to eat. Not a problem at the time of eating has we had a back up ham and the old one would be perfect in soup because the texture would not matter. Incidentally this old ham, also had the largest ham hock I have ever seen. It was the size of my forearm – if not bigger. So the fridge is full and I have carrots and celery and 20 pounds of ham that need to be eaten. I am thinking…you know I have always wanted to try a cassoulet. Dilemma – it is the weekday and I do not have the time it takes to make a cassoulet. I need something I can prep ahead, throw in a pot in the morning and simmer it until I get home for dinner. Additionally, Whole Foods does not sell duck thighs and I am not paying 30 bucks for a do-it-from-your-fridge meal. Solution: White Beans (which I had in the pantry), Spicy Chicken Sausage (which I had in the freezer), Ham (you are quite aware I had ham) and Kale soup. Kale later turned into Swiss Chard because WF was out of it. It was good for my first time. I can see why it is a winter trend – next time I think that I will use less liquid to make a ticker stew that the beans really stand out in (I LOVE beans). I also think that I will finish it off in the oven with a nice layer of cheese and some garlic croutons – in a nod to one of my favorites – French Onion Soup. Cassoulet – that masterful feat I have yet to accomplish – will have to wait. Don’t be intimidated by the length of this list – it is basically just the contents of a fridge, pantry and freezer thrown together to get used in time.If you have chicken thighs, those would be great to throw in this as well. You should know that I did this the incredibly lazy way – I did not put my soup broth through a strainer. I did not puree it. I did not pick out the veggies and replace with uncooked one (carrots and such lose their flavor after about two hours cooking so generally, you are supposed to replace them to obtain a soup that does not have muddled flavors). I just ate it as it was.

Time wise here is what I did. The day before cooking, I prepped all ingredients and put them into bowls and soaked the beans. Day off I brown the meat, then threw in the veggies, liquid and seasoning. Let hang out for a few hours, taste test once you get home and adjust seasoning as necessary.

  • 2 large white or yellow onions
  • 1 entire (Large) head garlic, cloves peeled and halved
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 5 carrots, sliced into half inch pieces then halved
  • couple of pieces of fresh torn sage leaves, whole
  • 2 bay leaves
  • One sprig rosemary
  • 8 Thyme stems
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Salt
  • Pepper to taste (a lot)
  • 1.5 cups dry white wine
  • 2.5 cups Chicken Stock
  • Sun-dried tomatoes or regular tomato paste, to taste
  • Dried Chipotle Peppers or Sriracha to taste
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, grated
  • 2 tablespoons pesto
  • A couple of slices of toasted garlic bread
  • 2 links of Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage
  • One ham Hock
  • Handful of torn ham pieces
  • 4 cups dried Great Northern beans, soaked overnight
  • Two bunches Kale or Swiss Chard, sliced into long sliced and stems removed
  • 1-2 Parmesan Cheese Rinds (I keep old rinds in the freezer and throw them into soups to get them more depth)
  • Smoked Paprika (optional – I added it just because)

Soak beans over night in room temperature water (fill bowl with water covering the beans plus four inches). The next day, heat a good amount of olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add sausage (and whatever other meat is being used i.e. chicken thighs, duck thighs, ham hock, etc) and sear. remove from pan and add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, celery, bay leaves, a pinch of salt, and a small bundle (tied with kitchen string) that contains the rosemary, sage, and thyme to the pan and saute until glassy – scrapping up the bits of meat from the bottom. Once glassy, degalze the pan with the white wine cook for a couple minutes. Add beans, meat, dried chilis, cheese rind, tomato paste and a good amount of black pepper to the pan. Add the chicken stock. Stir and cover. Cook over a low heat for 2-4 hours. Taste test and add flavors has necessary. Add the greens and allow to cook for another 30-45 minutes, then remove any bones or chunks of fatty meat, chilis, and the bouquet garni from stew.  Laddle into large bowls and top with a handful of shredded cheese and a spoonful of pesto. Serve with crusty, toasted garlic bread.

Broccoli, Chicken, Cheese Casserole in Andiland

/ andreah94 / Leave a comment

This was amazing…I mean amazing. Thank God I can eat Broccoli again. I made this up on a cold night at the lake, a budget, and limited to HEB (obviously did not make up broccoli cheese casserole but this is the recipe that I put together in my head for the way that I like to eat). It was delicious and the most satisfying broccoli cheese casserole I have ever had. Yum…I wish I could have thirds. Just thought I would share – great for a big group because it is relatively cheap and also gluten free/vegetarian optional!!! This is a great pantry meal – all you need is fresh broccoli and mushrooms (if you have leftover chicken or frozen chicken) and a great way to use up leftovers or whatever veg needs to be cooked.

Broccoli, Chicken, Cheese CasseroleServes 4-6

2 lbs Roasted Broccoli,  chopped
5 large Shallots, diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
chicken (shredded), as much as you want/have (for a vegetarian option, omit chicken)
Shredded cheese (I used a blend of jack and cheddar because it is what I had) I used about a half cup on the inside and then shredded the remainder of the cheese on top of the casserole
cream of chicken soup*
cream of mushroom soup or Portabella Mushroom Soup
12 mushrooms sliced (optional)
Basmati rice (1 cup)
Chicken Stock (2 cups)
1-3 table spoon butter- to taste or fat content preferences (sorry I am not Paula Deen here)
2 tablespoons milk or cream – or more to consistency preference
Pam or olive oil spray
crushed red pepper (optional), pus other seasoning as desired
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
handful of your favorite breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

*You can use any combo of cream of chicken, mushroom, broccoli – I have successfully used Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken, as well as using Organic Mushroom Soup. You could also use Broccoli Cheddar soup if it is in the pantry. Imagine or Pacific Organic Soups are great in this if you have those in the pantry.

Preheat oven to375

Cook rice with chicken stock until done.

Option one: Steam broccoli whilst simultaneously shredding chicken and cheese. Once tender to a fork toss all ingredients with tad bit of salt and lots of pepper. Option two: roast broccoli with some sliced shallot and garlic, toss with lemon zest (this can be done in a greased baking dish that you will bake the casserole in). I highly recommend option two if you have the time. Place cooked broccoli in a greased baking dish with shredded chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, and flaxseed.

Sauté onions and garlic – properly seasons – for a couple minutes in butter. Add the mushrooms and crushed red pepper if using. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are almost browned. After a few minutes, add the soup, additional seasoning such as garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, black pepper – to the onion mixture. Add a tablespoon of butter and let heat a bit whilst waiting for the rice to cook. Once done, add sauce to broccoli, chicken, cheese and sun-dried tomato mixture. Add the rice to the mixture and then season to preference. Add two tablespoons cream or chicken broth (to keep the rice moist whilst baking and then stir well, flatten the top and then shred cheese over the top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, cayenne and paprika and then place in an oven preheated to 425. Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is golden and melted and sauce is bubbling.

Variations…that I am going to test out very soon… I personally think it would be good with tomatoes baked on top or topped with crispy prosciutto or fried shallots. I also think it would be fantastic stuffed inside tomatoes and baked as leftover meal the next day with a twist. =) you can add as many veggies as you like or use whatever you have on hand – I think zucchini would be good, though I would not steam it first so that it retains some bite. Steamed golden beets and carrots would not add much flavor (and a little sweetness) to the dish even though they would increase the nutrient level and allow you to use them up if you need to. If you do not have chicken, then leave it out no worries!