Hearty Minestrone

Hearty Minestrone
makes 8 generous servings
1 can chick peas drained and rinsed
1 can red beans drained and rinsed
1 can italian style stewed tomatoes
3 carrots diced
2 ribs celery diced
1 small onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 zucchini diced
about 1 c cherry tomatoes
1/2 green pepper diced
1 t dried oregano
1 T kosher salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
8 c water OR chicken stock OR equivalent (aka Better than Bullion)
1 c V8 vegetable juice
2 T olive oil
4 oz cooked ditalini pasta

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat.  Once hot add the onions, carrots & celery.  Sautee vegetables for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.  Add garlic, stir well and sautee 1-2 minutes longer.  Once garlic is very fragrant  just before it starts to brown, add the tomatoes, juice & all.  Stir well to get the garlic up off the bottom of the pan.  Add everything else and bring up to a boil.  Once it boils reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 1 hour.  Taste for season before serving, adjust salt & pepper if needed.  When ready to serve place a small portion of cooked ditalini or other small shape pasta in the bowl and ladle the soup over top.  Garnish with grated parmesean cheese if desired.



Nutrition Facts calculated at Spark People recipe calculator 8 Servings Amount Per Serving Calories 188.3 Total Fat 4.5 g Saturated Fat 0.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g Monounsaturated Fat 2.6 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 1,029.1 mg Potassium 491.5 mg Total Carbohydrate 31.9 g Dietary Fiber 5.8 g Sugars 4.3 g Protein 6.8 g

Beef Stew

The calender may say spring has sprung but here in Colorado, that just means that our snowy season has begun! The day that I made this stew we got 4 inches of snow. With snow in the air stew needs to be on the stove! What's better for the husband to come home to after a long day of work, and even longer drive home in the snow, than a pot of chunky beef stew?

When choosing meat for the stew choose chuck cuts. Do NOT choose 'stew meat'. 'Stew meat' is just scraps left over from the butchery process and that meat tends to be very rubbery & chewy, filled with excess fat & gristle, not my idea of a good stew! Round cuts (top round, bottom round roast) all are very lean but they dry out & get chalky when cooked in stew. Avoid them. Chuck is the best cut for this process, it has lots of beefy flavor and is ideal for long slow cooking processes, that allows the meat to break down & become very tender.

One of my big beefs (pun intended) with stew is chewy flabby flavorless meat. I won't stand for it! The Kitchen Witches' stew is exceptionally tender as a result of the cut of meat, the red wine and the long slow braising process. The red wine is essential: it helps to tenderize the meat, in addition to bringing lots of flavor to the dish. The acids & enzymes in the wine help to break down & tenderize the beef, resulting in nice soft pieces.


Beef Stew
makes 8 servings
3-5 lbs Chuck roast, cut into 1-2 in cubes
Kosher salt & pepper (about 2T salt, if using table salt use 1/2 as much)
3-4 carrots, peeled & sliced
3-4 ribs celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t thyme leaves, dry or 4 stems fresh
3 bay leaves
3/4 bottle burgundy red wine (about 4 cups if you're using a boxed variety like me)
4 c water or beef broth (I used water, out of broth)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2-3 potatoes, peeled & diced
1T oil for sautee

Cut the roast into 1-2 in cubes, discarding any excess fat & connective tissues. Pat dry with paper towels, this helps with browning. Season beef cubes with salt & pepper (1T salt & 1/2 t ground pepper) and toss in the EVOO just before sautee.
Heat large soup pan over med hi heat, once hot add beef in a single layer and brown. You'll probably have to do this 3-4 times (kind of a pain but the flavor pay off is worth it). Don't crowd the pan, cubes shouldn't be touching, that causes the meat to steam & not brown, resulting in grey meat. yuck! Once cubes are browned remove & set aside. Repeat with remaining beef until done. Don't worry about the yucky brown stuff on the bottom of the pan, that's your fond, AKA flavor :)

Once meat has been browned, add onions, carrots & celery to pan. Stir. Add wine & scrape bottom of pan with wooden spoon to release all the cooked on brown bits. Add the thyme, garlic & bay, stir well. Add the beef back to the pan and add 3/4 of the beef broth, stir well. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours. Taste stew hourly for seasoning, keeping in mind the flavors change as it cooks, and the salt tends to cook out somewhat. Add more salt & pepper accordingly.

After 2-3 hours of simmering add your diced potatoes, stir well, recover and cook about 30 min longer or until potatoes are soft.

Add the frozen peas, stir them into the stew and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves, ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

The Kitchen Witch first made this dish as a teenager. I've since had many, many, many years to perfect it. I've taken it from a long slow cooked (over cooked in retrospect) dish to a quick and easy 30 minute meal. Hows that for progress?

Cacciatore means "hunters stew" in Italian, so basically it was made with whatever they had around, traditionally chicken, tomatoes, onions, peppers and mushrooms. I was out of mushrooms (and not much of a fan of them anyway) so they were omitted this time around.

Serve this with pasta, rice or quinoa along with a salad and dinner's served!! Even my picky nephew Ben feasts on this dish, as a matter of fact is one of his favorite Aunt Kitchen Witch dishes :) I hope your family enjoys it as much as ours does.

PS the photos on this one aren't as good as I'd like. But I was hungry and honestly, photo quality was not real high on my list of priorities, sorry about that :)

Chicken Cacciatore
makes 6 servings
2 chicken breasts
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 onion sliced thin
4 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper julienne strips
1 t dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1/4 c white wine
S&P
1 t EVOO

Prep work first, of course!
~slice chicken thin against grain, 1/8 in thick
~slice onions thin
~slice red bell pepper into julienne strips, then into 2 in lengths
~mince garlic or use garlic press to smash to smithereens

Heat a large skillet and the EVOO over medium high heat (DO NOT USE CAST IRON HERE, the acid in the tomatoes will cause a reaction and make your food have a funky metallic flavor, not good). Cook chicken until it just starts to brown, add the onions. Cook until onions and chicken are browned and you've got a good build up of brown stuff (fond) on the bottom of the pan. Add garlic, cook 1 min longer then deglaze with the white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the tomatoes with juices and herbs, S&P. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with cooked pasta, rice or quinoa. A little parmesean wouldn't be remiss either.




Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 132.6
Total Fat 1.9 g
Saturated Fat 0.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g
Cholesterol 43.8 mg
Sodium 326.4 mg
Potassium 401.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 7.3 g
Dietary Fiber 1.6 g
Sugars 1.8 g
Protein 18.6 g

French Onion Soup

If there's one thing I can always count on its that if French Onion soup is on a menu my husband will be ordering a bowl full. And then he'll always ask if I can make it & why I haven't.

Taking that last part as a not so subtle hint, I decided it was time to make some for the poor man. Needless to say when he came home from work to smell the sweet scent of caramelized onions in the air he had one question for me - "Is that French Onion soup?!?" He was pretty jazzed when the answer was indeed YES!

This is a soup that takes a long time to do right. Not that is complicated, its anything but. However to get the onions deeply caramelized like we need takes a long time. Plan on at least 3 hours for this soup to cook. You simply can not rush the onions caramelization process.

I don't know if its the melted cheese, the toasted bread croûton or the delightfully sweet yet savory soup broth but French Onion soup is pretty magickal. Its the perfect snowy day got no place to go type of soup. Enjoy!

French Onion Soup
serves 4
2 large onions (2 lbs worth)
2 T EVOO
lots of kosher salt
1 t dry or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaves
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 c dry white wine divided
4 oz. swiss cheese or Gruyère cheese
4 slices french or sourdough bread, bias sliced and toasted

-crocks for broiling

Slice onions thin from pole to pole. In a dutch oven or other large heavy bottomed pan heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and about 1 t kosher salt. Stir well to cover onions in salt and oil. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until onions have given off a lot of juice.Remove the lid, reduce heat to low and allow onions to brown and caramelize. This will take a long time, about 2 hours. Stir onions every 15 min to avoid burning and hot spots. Do not crank the heat to speed this process up or you'll be stuck with bitter tasting soup. You want deeply caramelized onions, not burnt ones. This can only be done over low heat for a long time.


this is about an hour into the caramelization process

Once onions are mahonany in color add 1/4 c white wine and deglaze pan, scraping up all caramelized bits from bottom. Continue to cook onions, wine will cook out, that's ok. You'll deglaze twice with wine before adding the stock.

After 2nd deglaze, notice the deep caramel color on the wooden spoon, this is the fond from the bottom of the pan AKA FLAVOR
Once the onions have been deglazed twice and are very deeply browned add the stock and herbs. Taste, adjust salt seasoning if need be. Simmer soup for 30 minutes, adding more stock or water if needed. After all this is a soup :-)



Once soup is cooked portion into oven proof crocks. Top with 1-2 bread slices, top that with the cheese. If you have block swiss shred it. If you have swiss slices then dice the cheese to mimic shredded cheese, for ease of melting. Put crocks on a baking sheet and put under broiler. Keep an eye on them this goes faster than you think! Once the cheese is browned and soup is bubbling remove from oven.



Nutrition Facts
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 311.1
Total Fat 15.6 g
Saturated Fat 6.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.4 g
Cholesterol 31.1 mg
Sodium 1,232.0 mg
Potassium 190.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 23.3 g
Dietary Fiber 2.0 g
Sugars 0.5 g
Protein 12.5 g

Pepper steak sandwiches

While browsing one of my favorite food blogs the Pioneer Woman I found her recipe for 'The Marlboro Man's favorite sandwich'. It looked delicious but not exactly the healthiest thing under the sun. What I liked about Ree's recipe most of all was the idea of using cube steak for a sandwich. Honestly until I saw that recipe I had always seen cube steak as chicken fried steak, that's it! But her idea to slice it thin against the grain and tenderization lines was brilliant!! What you get is nice thin slices of meat that are tender and perfect for sandwiches.

Running with that idea I thought about what we like on steak sandwiches. Peppers came to mind first. Lots of bell peppers, a touch of onions. Maybe a bit of cheese. And what about a sauce? Things could get kinda dry in there without one. Well it IS steak so why not use steak sauce? Add a touch of soy sauce for the umami factor, a bit of balsamic to boost the acidity and subtle sweetness and some horseradish for a spicy background kick. Hmm... sounds like the Witch is on to something here.

This sandwich is pretty big. I had 1/2 a sandwich, the husband had a whole one and the little one had a few strips of meat. And she even tried a bell pepper!! So if you have adequate side dishes I would bet that you could serve 4 people off this recipe. I fed 3 of us and we had a bit left over.


Pepper Steak sandwiches
Makes 2 large sandwiches
2 cube steaks
1/4 onion sliced
1 bell peppers julienned
2 T A-1
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t soy sauce
1 t balsamic vinegar
scant 1 t extra spicy horseradish, use more or less depending on taste
seasoned salt
4 slices swiss cheese OPTIONAL
2 French bread sandwich rolls
butter for rolls

Slice steaks thin, against the grain & tenderization lines. This will allow the meat to be very tender. Mix the liquids together to make a sauce.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once its nice & hot add the beef and onions, laying onions on top of beef. Cover and allow to cook about 3 min or until you have a good amount of browning on the beef.

Flip meat and add bell peppers. Cover and cook about 1 minute, then add the sauce and a generous sprinkling of seasoned salt. Stir to mix, reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered until liquid is almost cooked out, about 5 minutes.


Butter the rolls and grill until golden. Place cheese slices over the hot beef and peppers. Cover and allow cheese to melt while buns are toasting. Assemble sandwiches and enjoy!




Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Serving Size: 1 sandwich
Amount Per Serving
Calories 434.7
Total Fat 18.0 g
Saturated Fat 9.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.7 g
Cholesterol 101.7 mg
Sodium 796.3 mg
Potassium 631.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 28.2 g
Dietary Fiber 2.1 g
Sugars 4.4 g
Protein 38.0 g

Braised Beef Short Ribs

This was my first time making beef short ribs. They were on sale at the market so I figured I'd give them a shot. They are cut from the chuck primal, meaning they're perfect for a low, slow, moist cooking environment, AKA a braise. The short ribs I got are boneless, an added bonus because the bone in ones tend to take FOREVER to cook.

Braising is simply cooking things, like tough cuts of meat, in a flavorful liquid, at low temperatures, for a long time. This magical way of cooking will transform tough, cheap cut of meat into a succulent moist and delicious cuts your family will go crazy for. You've probably braised before and just don't realize that's what you were doing. Ever made a pot roast? What about a stew? Yup, those are both braises. The long, slow, moist (wow that was pretty sexy!) cooking method breaks down the collegens and fat, producing geletain, which makes the meat delightfully sticky and savory, it has a velvety mouth feel, very unctuous and full of umami. (to those of you who don't speak chef, that means you'll get a yummy tender beefy tasting piece of meat)

In a beef braised dish normally I'd use red wine. However I was out, and getting more wasn't an option. So I used white wine and augmented it with balsamic and red wine vinegars as well as soy sauce. The vinegars I hoped would provide a deeper, rounder flavor, more like a red wine would produce. The soy sauce provided the umami, which is the 5th taste, beefy and meaty. Trust me, the addition of a little soy sauce really amps up the YUM factor. The cooking liquids then get reduced to make a jus (gravy), served over hot buttered egg noodles. Its cold day dinner bliss!


Braised beef short ribs
Makes 6 servings
1 lb boneless beef short ribs
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c white wine
1 T soy sauce
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 t dry Italian seasoning
S&P
1 onion, sliced
4 large cloves garlic chopped roughly
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 in chunks
1 rib celery, cut into 1 in cubes
1 T oil for browning beef

Pat meat dry. Sprinkle with S&P. Brown each piece of meat well on all 4 sides. This will take a few installments. As always don't worry about the funky stuff building up on the pan, thats your flavor base.


Once all pieces are browned deglaze pan with water and vinegars. Avoid steam, vinegar fumes are nasty to breath!

Take care to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once its fully deglazed add the tomatoes and their juices, herbs and onion. Add beef back to the pan, cover with foil and then with lid. This ensures a tight seal so your beef will be very tender and juicy.

Cook at 250* for 5-6 hours.

3 hours into the braise add carrots and celery. Recover and finish cooking.

Remove from oven, remove ribs and veggies to a serving platter. Strain the cooking veggies in a mesh strainer and return the cooking liquids to the braising pot. Bring liquid to a boil and reduce by half. This will result in a very concentrated jus which is a French term for the cooking juices from meats. What we call it is the best darn gravy ever!

Serve with egg noodles or mashed potatoes.



Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving 1 1/2 ribs each with vegetables
Calories 292.0
Total Fat 16.4 g
Saturated Fat 1.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.8 g
Cholesterol 48.0 mg
Sodium 716.1 mg
Potassium 551.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 9.0 g
Dietary Fiber 1.9 g
Sugars 3.1 g
Protein 23.5 g

Creamy broccoli cheese soup

I call this Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup rather than Cream Of Broccoli soup because it contains NO cream! Yes that's right, no cream! You still get all the flavor and creamy texture that you've come to love in a broccoli soup, with out the added fat and calories.

Most people like the broccoli florettes. They're nice & pretty, tender & easy to eat. My preschooler LOVES the florettes, she calls them dinosaur trees & will chow down on them with a quickness. Which is awesome but it leaves me with a LOT of stem ends.

Now if you've learned anything about the Kitchen Witch its that I abhor waste in the kitchen. Ingredients are too expensive to just throw away parts & pieces because they are less pretty or not needed for a recipe. The broccoli stems are a prime example of this. When the little Witch asks for broccoli she expects to see a neatly trimmed florette, leaving behind the stem. I look at this pale green stem and say hmm...you could be made into soup! Its loaded with lots of broccoli flavor, not to mention fiber, perfect! A little cooking and its tender, a little puree and its a soup base loaded with flavor and lends a delightful green hue to the soup.

Kitchen Witch Tip: If you have broccoli stems but aren't ready to make the soup, no fear! Simply put the stems in a freezer zip top bag & freeze until you have enough to make this soup. You can also use frozen broccoli, however please adjust your cooking times as the frozen florettes tend to cook quicker than their fresh counterpart.

This creamy broccoli soup will keep them coming back for more, and at less than 250 calories a bowl, you can feel good about serving it to your family.

Creamy Broccoli Soup
serves 8 generous bowls
2-3 heads broccoli including stems
4 c chicken stock (you do use homemade, right?)
2 c milk
1 small onion
1 rib celery
S&P
3 T butter
1/2 c flour
8 oz Cheddar or colby jack cheese shredded, optional
drizzle of oil


Cut the broccoli florettes from the stems. Set aside. Roughly chop the stems, onion and celery.


Heat a large soup pot over med hi heat. Drizzle oil in pan, once hot add broccoli stems, onions & celery. Cook until the broccoli starts to brown.

Add chicken broth, S&P and simmer about 15 min, until vegetables are very soft. Remove veggie solids into a food processor, add 1-2 c cooking liquid and puree until very smooth. If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender or an immersion (stick) blender. Transfer the puree and the remaining cooking liquid to a large bowl.



In the same pot melt the butter. Once melted add the flour and whisk well to make a roux. Cook roux about 3-5 min or until it smells nutty and takes on a light golden color. Slowly add milk, whisking well. This will be VERY thick. Add the puree/stock mixture to the thickened milk and stir well. Bring to a simmer. Add broccoli florettes and cook 10-15 min or until broccoli florettes are tender.



Remove soup from heat. Add shredded cheese and stir well until it melts. Adjust seasonings and serve.


Nutrition Facts
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 241.3
Total Fat 16.0 g
Saturated Fat 9.9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.2 g
Cholesterol 48.8 mg
Sodium 701.7 mg
Potassium 463.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 13.6 g
Dietary Fiber 2.2 g
Sugars 3.6 g
Protein 12.3 g

Chicken stir fry and Asian sauce base

Stir fry is one of our go to easy, low calorie & low fat, filling, healthy and QUICK meals. Asian flavors are simply divine with fresh vegetables. The sauce is light, flavorful, tart and slightly sweet.

Kitchen Witch, why should I spend the whopping 5 minutes it takes to make my own sauce when the supermarket has TONS on prebottled ones for me to buy?

My answer is pretty simple. Flavor and health. If high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and preservatives galore is your thing then go for it, buy what the store has to offer. But if you're like the Kitchen Witch and require some REAL food in your food, make your own. It'll have fresh bright flavors, no preservatives or additives, no HFCS or PHO's. And you can customize it to you and your familys specific tastes. Don't like red pepper flakes? Leave it out! Got a nut allergy in the house? Leave it out! Love ginger, add more. You get the idea.

When you make this stir fry you can serve it with lettuce cups to make lettuce wraps or with steamed rice. Or both :-)

Chicken stir fry/Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4
2 chicken breasts
butter lettuce, pull leaves off to make cups (optional)
veggies: some suggestions
bell peppers (1/2), snow peas (handful), carrot (1), celery (1 stalk), onion, (1/4 small), broccoli (1 head), mung bean sprouts (hearty handful), water chestnuts (1 can), bamboo shoots (1 can)
Asian sauce (recipe follows)

Marinate chicken in 1 T Asian sauce base. Let marinate for 2 hours.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken about 5 min on 1st side, flip when its golden browned and the sides start to turn opaque. Cook an additional 4 min on 2nd side OR until internal temperature is 160*. When chicken is cooled off enough to handle (about 5 minutes) slice into thin strips.

Prep all veggies. This is important in a stir fry because things go QUICK. You won't have time to get your veggies ready to go while other things are cooking so do your prep work first!



In the same skillet add onions, celery and carrots. Cook 1 min or until they start to soften. Add the broccoli and 1/4 c water. Stir well, scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pan. Put a lid on the pot & allow it to steam for 2-3 min.

Add the bell peppers, snow peas, bamboo shoots & water chestnuts. Cover again & cook 1-2 minutes.

Add the bean sprouts, stir well and cover. Cook 1 minute additional.


Slice the chicken and add it to the veggies in the pan, cover & cook 1 minute to warm chicken through.

Serve with lettuce leaf cups and drizzle with Asian sauce.

Asian style sauce/dressing base
1/2 c white wine or rice vinegar
1 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1 orange
1 clove garlic smashed
pinch crushed red pepper
2 T tahini (sesame seed paste, can substitute peanut butter or omit if desired)


Make sauce first. In a saucepan add vinegar, orange juice, garlic, sugar & red pepper. Bring to a boil & cook 3 min. Add soy sauce and tahini, stir very well, simmer 2 min longer. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove solids.



This base can be used as a marinade for shrimp, chicken or pork. It can be diluted with oil to become a salad dressing (2T base to 1/4 c oil and 2 T white wine if you want more acidity (opt), shake well). Its also fantastic as a dip for fresh veggies or can be used as a sauce on stir fry or lettuce wraps.

Nutrition Facts
Chicken lettuce wraps
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 205.8
Total Fat 2.2 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Cholesterol 68.4 mg
Sodium 140.4 mg
Potassium 1,020.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15.4 g
Dietary Fiber 6.6 g
Sugars 2.3 g
Protein 33.4 g

Nutrition Facts
Asian style sauce,
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 53.9
Total Fat 2.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 469.9 mg
Potassium 39.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8.5 g
Dietary Fiber 0.4 g
Sugars 7.3
Protein 1.0

Beef Stroganoff

When creating my dinner menus I look to the weekly sales at the grocery. Combine a few fresh ingredients with what I've got in the pantry and freezer and voila! Dinner is served. Case in point: Beef Stroganoff. Being a Kitchen Witch I don't own or use cream of soup. Finding a decent recipe with out a can of soup was harder than I thought to find. Sometimes I feel like I'm the last of the 'from scratch' home cooks out there! So I created this one for you all.

In my freezer I had cube steaks. I figured if I sliced them against the grain I'd have a nice tender piece of meat for the Stroganoff. Most recipes call for thin sliced sirloin or tenderloin, however the cube steaks is what I had on hand. They worked out quite well in the end product I'm happy to report.

Mushrooms were on sale this week - I had stroganoff in mind when I saw the sale. I also had an abundance of sour cream in the fridge that desperately needed to be used up. Most recipes call for either red wine or brandy to deglaze the fond (cooked on crud on the bottom of the pan). I had neither so I used my trusty white wine. We liked the flavor it brought to the dish and didn't add a reddish hue to the creamy sauce. The wee bit of lemon juice added at the end brings a nice tang to the dish that really makes the sour cream sauce sing.

Even the littlest Kitchen Witch liked this meal! She said that the gravy was good, thats high praise from a 3 yr old :-)

Beef Stroganoff
serves 2 very hearty servings with a lunch left over
2 cube steaks
8 oz package mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 T flour
S&P
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 c white wine
1 1/2 c chicken stock
dash lemon juice
1/2 c sour cream
1 T fresh minced parsley
hot buttered egg noodles (3 c dry noodles was enough for 2.5 dinners & a full lunch)
butter and oil or sautee

Clean and quarter mushrooms. Discard any tough stems.


Slice the beef against the grain into 1/4 in wide strips. Season beef with S&P, then toss with the flour.

In a skillet heat a drizzle of oil and cook beef until nicely browned. Remove browned strips from pan. Add 1 T butter and mushrooms. Allow to brown before stirring. Once mushrooms brown, remove from pan & set aside with the beef.

Add a touch more oil if needed and cook onions. Once the onions begin to sweat add the garlic & stir well. You want the onions to just start to brown on the edges. Once they have browned slightly remove from pan & place with beef & mushrooms.


Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Stir well scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Return beef, mushrooms and onions to the pot & simmer about 20 min.

Cook and drain egg noodles.

Turn heat off on the stroganoff. Stir in 1/2 c sour cream and 1 T fresh chopped parsley. Serve over the hot egg noodles.


Nutrition Facts
2 Servings **you could very easily make this feed up to 4 people by adding a veggie side dish, it makes 2 VERY hearty servings!
Amount Per Serving
Calories 475.9
Total Fat 18.3 g
Saturated Fat 9.9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 6.5 g
Cholesterol 125.7 mg
Sodium 818.6 mg
Potassium 1,008.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 33.9 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 2.3 g
Protein 33.2 g

Kitchen Witch Basics: Chicken Stock

Chicken stock is liquid gold in the kitchen. Its so easy to make, literally out of scraps, so its uber cost efficent too. Its used in things as simple as rice (to add flavor) or as the basis of a soup or stew. Nothing makes your food taste like you spent a lot of time slaving over it than good chicken stock. I use it constantly in my kitchen and always have at least 8 cups in the freezer waiting for a destination. Once you try homemade you'll understand why its so coveted.

Recently my local grocery haunt had bone in chicken breasts for .99/lb. Being a good Kitchen Witch boning out the breast is no problem, leaving me with an excessive amount of chicken bones to use up. If you, however, are squeamish about boning chicken, have no fear! There are alternatives - I'll tell you about them - keep reading.

Being a budget savvy Kitchen Witch I will freeze vegetable scraps, things like the ends of carrots or celery, to be used for stock. Since the veg is being simmered for 8 hours or more, the softness that freezing causes isn't an issue. Try keeping a zip top freezer bag of the cut ends, you'll be amazed how fast it adds up, and that's money you've paid that you're literally throwing away! Can you tell I'm very anti waste in the kitchen? Ingredients are expensive!

Ok back to the stock! So far we've got scrap bones and scrap veggies. Right about now I'm sure you're thinking "Um, Kitchen Witch, I'm afraid you've lost me here. Between your waste/cost rant and the scraps galore I'm not sure I want to venture to this strange new land". Fear not faithful reader. You don't need to use scraps to make stock, its simply a good way to use stuff that would otherwise become compost fodder or worse yet, trash!

For the boning/raw chicken challenged: use a package of leg quarters. They are very cheap and make excellent stock. And yes my white meat only friends, the dark meat is ok to make stock with. Believe me, I'm a white meat only kind of girl & I use the leg quarters when I'm out of bones, with great success, too.

Chicken Stock
10 chicken breast bones & skin OR 1 pack legs & thighs (also called leg quarters)
1 yellow onion SKIN ON (it adds great color to the stock) with an X cut in the top
3-4 carrots, skins scraped, cut into thirds
3-4 stalks celery cut into thirds
4 garlic cloves, crushed
15 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
2 t dry thyme leaves OR 8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 t dry sage leaves OR 8-10 fresh sage leaves
1 handful parsley, fresh
1 T kosher salt
Water, about 1 gallon, however this will depend on the size of your stock pot

In a large stock pot add the chicken (bones), veggies, herbs & spices. Add water - about a gallon, until ingredients are covered by about 2 inches of water.

Over medium heat bring stock up to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL!** Once simmering reduce heat to low & cover. Skim off any scum that collects on top in the 1st hour or so of cooking. Simmer over very low heat, you want just a few bubbles breaking the surface of the stock, for 8 hours. Stock will have a very rich golden color to it.

Line a colander with paper towels or a clean tea towel. Pour stock through strainer allowing chicken, bones & veggies to collect in colander. Discard bones & veg. (No the chicken left over isn't worth saving. Why you ask? Because its been cooked too long, its completely dry & not worth your time!) An added bonus of the straining/towel method is that most of the fat collects in the towels so you just throw it, and those calories, away. That's waste I can handle!

Transfer stock to 2-4 cup size plastic containers.
Frozen stock stores up to 6-9 months.
Refrigerated stock stores 7 days maximum

**Do NOT Boil, why?? Because boiling causes agitation which allows the fat to emulsify with the stock, and the sediment (herbs, minerals) that normally float to the bottom get trapped in this emulsification, just like Italian dressing. This causes a greasy cloudy stock, which is unattractive and not nearly as tasty as the non boiled version. Trust the Witch on this one, take the full 8 hrs over a very slow simmer and reap the rewards.

Question:My stock is giggly, like jello almost. Did I do something wrong??

Answer: Nope! Not at all! As a matter of fact that gelatin is proof that you've done your job, and done it well, as a stock maker. The gel is the collagen and gelatins that have broken down from the bones & connective tissues of the chicken. Sure, that may sound gross but its really where the flavor is at. You know that 'finger lickin' good' quality of a good gravy or the stickiness that a good stew has? Well my friend, that's collagen! It fools your mouth into thinking its got something fatty & delightful because it coats your tounge with a velvety texture, like fat does. However collagen and gelatin are both fat free, so you get all the flavors and none of the calories or fat. The thicker the stock the more concentrated in flavor it is. If you have jello like stock, congratulations! Job well done!

Creamy chicken noodle soup

I don't know about you but I like creamy soups. Broth soups like chicken noodle are good for an appetizer, but for a main course meal I need a nice creamy soup to really satisfy me.

So when the jones for chicken noodle soup hit I decided that a creamy version was defiantly in order. Lucky for me I had a fresh batch of chicken stock just waiting to be used. Chicken stock is so easy to make and the flavor is SO much better than canned, why use anything else? I'll share the chicken stock recipe with you all another time.


When I make soups I dice my veg pretty small, like 1/4 inch pieces. Yes I'm anal like that. I like even consistency in my veggies and meat, I should be able to fit one of each ingredient on a spoon with some delicious soupy part & enjoy the bite as a complete flavor experience. You, however, can hack your veggies as big or as small as you like.

Creamy chicken noodle soup
4 cups homemade chicken stock (ok, canned is fine too)
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 t poultry seasoning
2 chicken breasts, diced
1/2 of a 11 oz pack frozen 'fresh' egg noodles (dry egg noodles work too, use about 3 c)
1 c 2% milk
1/2 c half & half
3 T flour
2 T fresh minced parsley
1 T oil

Heat a large pot over med/hi heat. Add oil. Once hot add carrots, celery & onions. Sautee 5 min or until onions just start to brown. Add chicken.

When chicken starts to brown add the poultry seasoning and stir well. Don't worry if chicken sticks, it'll come up when we add the liquid. The browning, however, will add a lot of flavor so don't be afraid of it. Once you have some brown bits add the chicken stock and stir well, loosening browned bits from bottom of pan. Simmer 5 min or until carrots start to soften.

Add milk and noodles to soup. Stir well. Simmer on med heat covered for 12 minutes or until noodles are soft. Make a slurry of the half & half and flour (a slurry is a mix of starch and liquid that's added to thicken a soup or sauce. Add the flour to the half & half & whisk well - no lumps please!) Simmer for 5 min. Stir in parsley and enjoy!

Filo wrapped chicken with feta & tomatoes

My garden was a late producer this year.  While that was kind of a drag in the middle of summer and produce wasn't ready to harvest, it was nice in October, before the first frost hit, to still be able to gather fresh produce from my back yard.  This recipe was created to use up some of my late summer bounty, and it does so in a very tasty manor, if I do say so myself.

Filo dough may look intimidating, and if not done properly it can be a nightmare.  Here's a few tips.
1. make sure dough is completely thawed, either 24 hrs in fridge or 8 hrs on counter
2. keep a damp cloth over the unused portion of filo dough to prevent it from drying out
3. make sure your butter is melted & ready to go, cold butter won't spread nicely, rather it will tear the filo & make you want to cry.  Not at all a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
4.  Don't worry about rips & tears, they happen to everyone!  Once you've layered & rolled the dough you won't even be able to tell you ripped the dough.

Filo wrapped chicken with feta & tomatoes
2 chicken breasts sliced into 2 in chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dill weed (can add more to taste)
1/2 t greek oregano
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T asiago cheese, shredded
1 T EVOO
S&P

1/4 med yellow onion
1/2 zucchini
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c feta cheese
2 t oil

10 sheets filo dough
2 T butter, melted

OPTIONAL tzatziki sauce
1 container (1/2 c) plain yogurt, strained
1/2 cucumber shredded & squeezed dry
1 t dill or oregano or combo of both
1 clove garlic minced
S&P

Step 1
Marinate chicken w/ herbs, garlic, vinegar & oil in a zip top bag (or bowl, whatever!).  Marinate chicken for at least 30 min but you can go as long as 2 hrs for deeper flavor.


Step 2
Slice zucchini into planks, 1/8 in thick.  Slice onions also.  Pat veggies dry for best browning.  Heat a sautee pan over med hi heat, add oil.  Once hot (oil shimmers) add veggies.  Allow to cook about 5 min on each side or until they are caramelized.  Turn & brown on 2nd side, this goes faster than the 1st side FYI.   Set veggies aside to cool.



Step 3
In a food grinder (attachment to KitchenAid) grind the marinated chicken, adding the onions to the grinder as well.  Once all meat is ground put in 2 chunks of asiago cheese to clear the grinder, and add extra flavor!

NOTE : if you don't have a food gringer, well get one!  No, not really, if you don't have a food grinder you can use ground chicken.  Its in the chicken section of your grocery.  If you can't find it ask the butcher, maybe they can grind some for you.  If using ground chicken, marinate it for 30 min max (more surface area=quicker marinade), dice onions after browning & mix in with chicken.

Step 4
Lay out 1 sheet of filo.  Spread with melted butter to cover surface - a very thin layer is fine.  Repeat until all filo has been layered.

Step 5
Spread chicken mix in center of filo, long ways covering 1/3 of the dough.



Top chicken with sliced tomatoes and feta cheese.  Fold the sides of filo over the top of the chicken/tomato/cheese layer, leaving a 2 in opening in the center.



Step 6
Bake at 400* on a heavy baking sheet for about 25 min.  Chicken layer should have an internal temp of 160* and outside should be golden brown & delicious (GBD).  Allow to cool about 5 min before slicing & devouring.




Tzatziki sauce:
When I made this I instantly thought Geeze wheres my tzatziki sauce???  I LOVE tzatziki sauce!  Unfortunately I didn't have ingredients on hand to make it that day.  I do highly recommend serving this with the sauce, it would add the missing final touch.  Since I didn't make the tzatziki that day I don't have photos of it to share with you.  Sorry about that!

strain plain yogurt in a sieve lined with either a tea towel or coffee filters.  Stir up yogurt & pour into strainer.  Put a bowl under strainer & allow to drain for 8 hrs to overnight.  This will drain off the whey from the yogurt, producing a thicker cheese like texture.  Add herbs, garlic, cucumber & S&P, mix well.  That's it :-)