It’s Friday, so what are your exciting plans for the weekend? Well, you may be heading out for a night on the town but if you’re anything like me, you’ll be heading home to relax!  That, however, doesn’t mean you can’t spice things up a little.  All it takes are a few spicy ingredients and a good recipe and Thai food is the perfect way to get the job done! 

From the sweet flavours of coconut, the hot kick of chilli and the sour hints of lime (just to name a few) you’ll be able to “Thai one on” (I know you’re laughing...or at least I hope so) in the comfort of your own home.

Check out these Thai inspired soups from chicken.ca

Thai-style Chicken & Rice Soup (Gluten Free)

Thai Coconut Peanut Soup

Thai Kabocha Squash Soup (gluten free)

So it happened.  Family Day weekend and I didn’t get to the grocery store.  We had what I called Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard and I was in trouble for our little guy’s lunch.  It was afternoon, hubby had the car and ordering out wasn’t a great idea, as it was too early for most places. Plus, while it’s an option, it’s expensive.   Another choice was going out – also expensive and it was -25 degrees; I frankly didn’t want to go through the snowsuit/hat/gloves/wind protection/stroller battle.

So, I looked at what I had:  Grapes, blueberries, apples and chicken (naturally). 

I smashed the apples and the grapes. Using my trusted indoor grill with a flat plate, I cooked the chicken, sliced it into strips and put it back on the grill.  Then I added the fruit. I sprinkled the fresh blueberries on top (thought the colour from the blueberries would make it look weird) Altogether, it was a colourful, gooey, wonderful and, dare I say it, delicious mess. It was hardly gourmet, but it was certainly a functional way of getting the protein and fruit into the day’s diet.

Which led me to thinking:  I haven’t had the time or the energy to be inspired by my cooking lately.  Sure, I’m dedicated to the point of obsession about getting everyone the right nutrients and making sure they enjoy their meals, but where has my inspiration gone?  Oh, right, I have a toddler.

Still, I’m trying to get inspired again.  When I first started to cook, I used to read recipes, follow the recipe exactly as written just once, then dream about how I would adapt them for my own use – and then, I’d do it.  Soon, I was experimenting with my own flavours and getting all kinds of adventurous initiative to try my own thing.

Maybe, once in while, you just have to go back to the basics.  Maybe, sometimes, you just have to go back to the habits you had that inspired you in the first place. That’s what I’m going to do.

With our busy schedules, spending quality time with our families often ends up at the bottom of the list. Let’s face it after working all day, picking up the kids, hockey or other activities, preparing supper, getting homework done and getting ready for the next day, there isn’t a lot of time left for anything else not to mention being exhausted. Today is Family Day, so put aside all those chores and other day to day tasks and make quality family time a priority. Get out those dusty board games or take a long walk with the dog; go tobogganing or maybe a skate or a ski day is in order.  At the end of the day don’t forget to enjoy some great food together! Eating together as a family is important. Why not get the whole family involved. Even little kids can help set the table or mix ingredients together.  Keep it simple but with good variety.

Finger foods are a great option.  Chicken wings or fingers, meatballs or even chicken nachos or pizza let everyone share a little bit of this and don’t forget to have healthy options available, like a vegetable tray or salad.   Here are a few recipes for your family to enjoy!

Chicken Meatball Appetizers

Balsamic Honey Chicken Wings

Nacho Chicken and Bean Dip

Chicken Pesto Pizza

 If you want more ideas, check out our recipes on www.chicken.ca

Served hot or cold, pasta is enjoyed by people all over the world and with good reason. 

Not only does it come in a wide variety of shapes and flavours, including gluten free versions such as rice or corn pasta, but it’s quick and easy to prepare too. It’s also extremely versatile and can take on a slew of flavours ranging from simple pesto or tomato sauces to richer cream or meat sauces. In fact, pasta is so versatile; it’s pretty hard to run out of ideas on how to prepare it.

Did you know that pasta is a good choice if you’re watching your waistline?  You just need to know how to prepare it without adding too many unnecessary calories. Whole grain pastas are high in fibre; by adding lots of colourful vegetables like broccoli or peppers, you’ll also get the added vitamin boost and keep your waistline in check. Cooking pasta to al dente, halfway between undercooked and overcooked, also lowers pasta’s glycemic index which is ultimately better for you. Just follow the package directions for timing.

If diet isn’t a concern then it’s also the perfect comfort food that can be enjoyed all year round.  My favourite go to comfort foods are lasagna and the ever so rich macaroni and cheese.

Here are ten chicken pasta recipes from our website for you to enjoy!

Broccoli, Chicken and Pesto Rotini Salad

Baked Chicken and Rosemary Pasta

Chicken and Pasta alla Carbonara

Chicken and Soba Noodle Salad with Fresh Mint

Chicken Lasagne Roll-Ups

Chicken Tetrazzini

Grilled Chicken & Eggplant over Rotini with Spicy Peppers

Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta Frittata

Garlicky Chicken with Spinach over Pasta

Mac and Chicken Burger Casserole (Gluten Free)

"Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhate it like a vacuum cleaner" ~ Sophia Loren

I’m always amazed and impressed when I travel south in the winter, and I’ve done this many times, that besides the beautiful flowering bushes and endless blue sky, you can always count on great chicken. This winter I had the unusual pleasure of visiting Jamaica twice. The first time, for my brother’s wedding, where I and 46 other close family and friends, joyously celebrated for a week and enjoyed countless meals of jerk chicken. My children, who were also on this trip, enjoyed our daily trek to the grill restaurant where the big outdoor bbq’s bellowed with smoke and the scent of jerk spices wafted through the air. The scent and promise of tender grilled chicken was so enticing, that it was one of the few things other than the sun starting it’s nightly decent, that would remove us from the comforting, warm sun, beach and ocean. We would stand in line at the BBQ and wait our turn for this wonderful chicken. The cook would greet us and ask us if we wanted the chicken or the pork. We would always ask for the chicken and his response was always the same...no problem mon. We would then sit and savour our meal and repeat what had become routine the next day and so on.

My second trip wasn’t much different. More warm sun, beautiful beach, endless ocean, breathtaking sunsets, more jerk chicken and delicious, warm, perfectly spiced Jamaican chicken patties.  We had a fabulous time on both trips. It was a great time to reacquaint ourselves with a sun we hadn’t really felt since September, close friends, family and loved ones. We brought home lots of great memories, a much more laid back, relaxed attitude and the scent of jerk spices still lingering in our noses.   

You can bring a little Jamaica to your home by making this wonderful Jerk Chicken recipe from the Jamaican Tourist Board (http://www.visitjamaica.com). To really get your family in the mood, sprinkle a little sand on the kitchen floor and whip up some Jamaican rice and peas and papaya daiquiri’s (sans alcohol for the kids of course) to create a festive summer like feeling and have your own taste of Jamaica tonight. And remember...no problem mon!

Oven Jerk Chicken (courtesy of the Jamaican Tourist Board)

6 lbs (about 3 kg) chicken pieces

6 Tbsp (about 100 mL) green onion, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

12 allspice (pimento) seeds, crushed and finely chopped

1 small Scotch Bonnet (or Jalapeno) pepper

2 tsp (10 mL) brown sugar

½ tsp (2.5 mL) fresh ginger, finely chopped

3 Tbsp (about 50 mL) fresh thyme

½ tsp (2.5 mL) black pepper

1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

1.      Pat chicken dry with paper towels.

2.      Mix all spices, green onion, onion, brown sugar, ginger and lemon juice together.

3.      Coat chicken pieces with spice mix.

4.      Cover and marinate for at least an hour in refrigerator.

5.      Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

6.      Place chicken in shallow baking pan.

7.      Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

We try to keep up with as many Canadian food bloggers as we can, and these are just a few of the mouth-watering posts we came across this month. Enjoy!

In Danny’s Kitchen – Daniele Campo shows us how to make a healthier version of fried chicken and potatoes without compromising on flavour.

Baked, Fried Chicken and Potatoes

Seasaltwithfood.com – If you like Vietnamese food (who doesn’t?) then Angie Tee’s recipe for this grilled lemongrass chicken is a must try!         

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken

Roast Duck and Big Gooey Cake – Ground cardamom, cumin and sliced ginger pack a punch into this chicken liver mousse.

Spiced Chicken Liver Mousse

Being Suzy Homemaker - these chicken breasts get stuffed with awesome flavours and then topped with a rich cream sauce.

Chicken Stuffed with Roasted Red Pepper and Basil

On Saturday, February 12, 2011, Canadian farmers will be celebrating Food Freedom Day.  We at CFCwill be celebrating this important day with our Canadian agriculture partners who work hard to ensure that Canadian consumers are provided with a safe and high quality food supply day in and day out.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture launched this program in February of 2007 and it is still going strong.  Here’s a News Release sent out by CFA on February 1, 2011 which outlines the meaning of this special day.

Canadian farmers look forward to Food Freedom Day, Feb. 12

One of the things I enjoy doing the most on weekends is preparing and freezing meals for the weeks ahead.  I can usually find time on a Saturday or Sunday morning to enjoy a cup of coffee while I go through some of my favourite recipe books, make my shopping list and head out to the grocery store.

I try to prepare meals that are healthy and that don’t require a ton of work because that’s the last thing you want when you’re cooking in big batches.  I aim for recipes like chilis, stews, casseroles and soups; meals that are great for lunch or dinner and that freeze well. 

I avoid using pasta, cheeses or cream based sauces because they don’t freeze well.  Pasta tends to get mushy when thawed and reheated, the texture of cheese changes when it’s thawed and cream based sauce loses its velvety texture. 

A tip, though, if you are thinking about freezing these items:  Cook pasta to the point where it’s just about to hit the al dente point – just a minute or two before you’d consider it done – and continue from there.  That way, it can cook just a little more when you’re heating it up and it won’t get too mushy.

Also, if you’re using a cream-based sauce or a creamy soup, add less cream or milk than the recipe requires.  This way, you can add fresh cream or milk when you’re reheating it and you won’t necessarily dilute the flavour.

So what do you need to get started?

1.      Buy high quality containers or freezer bags to avoid freezer burn.  Tin pans that come with lids are great for dishes like lasagna.

2.      A permanent marker – You’ll know how long a meal has been sitting in your freezer if it is labelled with a date.

3.      If you don’t own a slow cooker, it’s a great investment for batch cooking, but a good size casserole dish, dutch oven or cooking pot should do the trick.

4.      If you’re going to make a big batch of food, make sure it’s something you and your family REALLY want to eat.

5.      Check your freezer for space.  This may be a good time to get rid of any expired or freezer-burned food.

6.      Make a grocery list and stick to it as much as you possibly can – impulse buys can be a hardship on both your wallet and your waistline.

7.      Thaw your food overnight by placing it in your refrigerator – never defrost anything in your sink or on your countertop.  Also, some meals can quickly be thawed in a microwave.

Preparing meals in advance for you and your family is not only a huge time saver, but a great way to save money.  You’ll be less likely to order take-out, which can get expensive, especially if it becomes a weekly ritual. Plus, preparing meals at home means you know what is going into your food and you have more control over what ingredients you are using, like salt or sugar. 

Here are some great freezer friendly recipes from our website.

Easy BBQ Chicken & Bean Burgers

Chicken Noodle Soup with Acorn Squash and Dill

Big Batch Chicken, Lentil, Bean & Rice Soup

Each month, we get to know another Canadian food blogger and post our interview with them here.  This month, we feature Montreal based, Julia Batal of www.alajulia.com.  Julia is a graphic/web designer who designed her own beautiful web site where you’ll find some great recipe!

In this photo, Julia is enjoying a “Lebanese Tabbouleh” (the recipe can be found on her blog).

1. Who taught you how to cook?

I’ve always had a passion for food and since I was a kid, I used to help mom in the kitchen. I also enjoy watching various cooking shows and acquire from them some special techniques. After I got married, the trial and error experimentation started My husband’s reactions to every successful recipe gave me full motivation to learn more.

2. How does cooking influence your everyday life?

Cooking is an art: It helps me express my feelings into food. At the end of the day, what's better than enjoying a hot meal with a glass of wine! Sharing my hobby of cooking with my husband's hobby of photography produces my blog's every weekend post.

3. What is your favourite thing to make for friends and family?

I've been influenced by Japanese cuisine, that's why my favourite recipe to prepare for my friends and family is definitely sushi: It's colourful, fun to prepare and very flexible!

4. What’s the one ingredient you simply couldn’t live without?

"Butter" simply. A basic ingredient of most desserts, butter also gives a special taste treatment to almost any other recipe! Knowing that, I always make sure to use it wisely. Butter is absolutely the ingredient I cannot live without.

Jae is our Senior Financial Officer and was born in Toronto but luckily her Korean parents moved to Montreal before she could become a Leafs fan. Her passion for food has brought her to work in the food industry first, for a chocolate company and now, Chicken Farmers of Canada. She secretly wishes to become a chef someday and expose the world to Korean food. Her greatest sadness is that her husband’s averse in spiciness prevents her from overindulging all her meals in red pepper.

1. Who taught you how to cook?

My mom is the best cook I know however, when she teaches, she is not able to give exact proportions so I end up doing a lot of trial and error using my husband as a guinea pig.

2. When preparing Korean dishes, do you find it hard to adapt traditional recipes to local available products, or can you stay fairly authentic with what is available to you?

There are about 8 base ingredients with which you can make most traditional Korean recipes and Asian grocery stores carry most of these ingredients. Otherwise, my parents supply me with Toronto kimchi and other produce.

3. What is your favourite chicken dish?

I think we have St-Hubert on speed dial for delicious roasted chicken!

4. If you were to open a Korean restaurant one day, what would you call it and why?

Good question! Probably something boring like Jae’s.

5. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?

Red bean ice cream. Don’t judge.

I’ve stopped telling my husband when I sub in new things at dinner.  Why?  Because he’s a picky eater and while I love him with everything I have, his resistance to new things makes me crazy.  So, I’ve stopped.  For example, he swears he can tell the difference between one and two percent milk – I know this not to be true (sorry, hon, but I’m confessing here).

I was worried for a while that the Little Prince would follow in Daddy’s footsteps and become a picky eater, too.  So, I’ve been secretly working on a plan.  I’ve been getting him to like things that his dad says he doesn’t.  We never used to eat fish much around the house – now that Baby likes it, it’s a staple in our weekly menu. 

It’s all about compromise.  I don’t serve the fish Hubby really doesn’t like, but we still get fish (much to my delight).  Hubby also says he doesn’t like dark meat – but Baby and I prefer it – so, this one’s a happy compromise:  He gets all the white meat he wants, and the little one and I share the dark meat.

I’ve learned a few things that I think we’ll benefit from in the future (and to be honest, I’m benefitting from now).  Number one:  I don’t always announce new meal ideas – I just make them happen.  Announcing it only puts picky people in the mindset to hate it – so, I intersperse it within days where I serve something everyone loves and keep everyone out of the kitchen while I’m making it.

Number Two: I generally serve something new with a staple that I know will get eaten.  In the case of Baby, I’ll cook a meat in a new way, but serve it with, say, noodles that he loves.  This way, I know he’ll eat something.  Same with Daddy – he’s more likely to try that new marinated meat if I serve it with his favourite veggies.

Now I’m looking for new things: I’ve mastered the “keep it in a packaged format that Baby can stab, scoop or pick up” and the “serve it with something that Husband likes” business.  I just want to get a little more creative and have found some interesting ideas to make meals more fun – at least for the little guy (the big one couldn’t care less).  I’ve heard colleagues talk about the many possible uses for cookie cutters when it comes to things like sandwiches and pancakes – cool idea there.  I’ve also heard tell of smiley faces being made of meals to make them more appealing.

How do YOU make your meals more fun?  Comment here and we’ll select one answer to win a special Chicken prize pack!