Aunt Fran's Chicken "Cacciatore"

My Aunt Fran isn't with us any more, but she was a wonderful cook.  She used to make this dish with regular spaghetti and cream of mushroom soup and a little milk for the sauce.  It was a mega-hit with anyone who tried it. She would call it Chicken Cacciatore, if I remember correctly. So when I became a low-carber, I knew I had to try and low carb this recipe.  And this recipe is what I came up with.  

Along the way, I was privileged to meet and become friends with George Stella and his wife Rachel .  At one point in our friendship, I shared this recipe with them.  And it was published on Page 116 of George Stella’s Good Carb Family Cookbook!!!!  He renamed it Aunt Fran’s Favorite Family Casserole.  It is my first published recipe and I am proud as heck about that! (I've since had a couple more published in George's cookbooks).

I hope if you come across this recipe and try it, you will let me know what you think.


Aunt Fran’s Favorite Family Casserole


Ingredients


Roughly 4 cups spaghetti squash cooked and drained
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Olive Oil
¾ cup diced bell pepper, any color
¾ cup diced onion
½ cup diced celery
8 ounce jar of pimentos drained and diced
8 ounce can of mushrooms, or 10 ounces fresh sliced
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup or so of heavy cream, ½ and ½ or unsweetened almond milk
1 ½ pounds of cooked chicken, diced, or you can use canned chicken, about 3 cans


How ya do it:

1. Put spaghetti squash in a BIG bowl. Add the diced chicken and toss to combine
2. Saute the veggies in the butter and Olive Oil till tender crisp
3. Add the cream cheese and cream to the veggies and let it all melt. When melted, add ¾ of the cheese and stir.
4. Throw everything in the big bowl with the Spag Squash and stir it up. 
5. Pour in a 9 x 13 casserole pan and top with remaining cheese. 
6. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes till bubbly around the edges and begins to brown.

This makes GREAT leftovers! And it makes a LOT, in case you are feeding a crowd.  And I have yet to find someone who doesn't love this stuff.  Even non-low carbers love it.

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Next Chapter about to begin on 10/4/24

 The next step in my new transformation is about to begin!  My hernia surgery is scheduled for 10/4/24.  Lets hope and pray that this time is a success.

I have managed to lose over 80 lbs, and I feel so much better already.  I've been able to do things I've not been able to do in years.  I have taken many long walks that I would never been able to do 80 pounds ago.  The last time I flew home from Florida, I was walking through Atlanta airport, and all of a sudden my Fitbit went off, flashed 5000 and fireworks!  I was trying to get to the next terminal so I was like "what the heck?"  I'd never seen that on my Fitbit before.  Evidently I managed to hit 5000 steps!  And before the day was over, I managed 7,100 steps!  I lived too!  LOL

So this hernia of mine, (Her name is Hernatia) is about to become history, I hope.  From what the surgeon and the plastic surgeon who is in charge of closing me up says, it's a kind of a big deal surgery.  The hernia surgeon will split me open from breastbone to hoo-haa.  He will tuck all my intestines and colon back where they are supposed to be, and use my inner skin to sew it all in nice and tidy.  I'm not sure if he will use mesh or not, it just depends on what he finds when he gets in there.  Then the plastic surgeon will close me up.  in the beginning, the plastic surgeon said he would remove the excess skin (called an apron), but after discussing it with hernia surgeon, they decided that another incision from hip bone to hip bone would be too much to try to recover from at one time.  So I may have skin removal later on.  But honestly, I am not trying to be a sexy beast, I just want to feel better!  I have grandbabies I need to spoil!

Without the support of my family, I could never have gotten this far.  Especially my sister Debbie.  She is my partner in all of this and has been there for me for every long boring trip to Indianapolis, every appointment, every panic attack I've had, all of it.  I can't ever thank her enough.  She is going to be with me for my surgery, but I feel bad because I'm going to be in the hospital 5 to 7 days, which means a big hotel bill.  I keep telling her to go home till I get released, since I'll be well taken care of in the hospital, but she is a stubborn old heifer.  But so am I, so we will see who "wins".

So the process starts with pre-op testing on Friday.  Then the countdown to 10/4.  I am so ready for it to all be over with.  And since I've had 2 previous hernia surgeries, I kinda know what to expect.  I hate sharing pictures but this one kinda gives you an idea of the size of the hernia (around 20 lbs). Yes it's huge.  As the surgeon said "it's not the biggest hernia I've ever seen, but close".  And also in this picture are the reasons I can't wait to be able to be back to normal!  I've got grandkids to spoil!  Nana is coming kids!!!

Thank you to all my friends who have been so supportive through all of this drama.  Won't be long and all of this will be a flicker in the rear view mirror!  Love to all....

    

A New Journey begins today, 1/30/23

 Twelve years ago today, I had my second hernia surgery.  It was supposed to be the last one I'd ever need.  And of course, I had complications.  I wasn't released from my surgeon's care until the following July, and in between spent another few days in the hospital, and also had what should have been another surgery in my doctors office to remove dead skin.  He was hacking away on me and I didn't feel a thing.  He said after it was over that I should have been in the hospital for the procedure.  But I digress a bit....

My hernia returned sometime in June of 2012.  And it has grown since.  I consulted three surgeons in Nashville before I moved to Indiana.  None of them would do another surgery.  I decided to try a specialist in Indianapolis a year ago.  He does nothing but hernia surgerys, and is reported to be one of the best in the country.  He said I would need to lose some weight because I didn't have the "skin" on the inside to pull together to hold it all in.  He suggested Bariatric Surgery.  His suggestion took me totally by surprise, but after much thought and discussion with my family, and my boys, they encouraged me to give it a try,  My surgeons appointment was November 9th, 2022 if I remember right, and I have been doing the work to get approved for gastric surgery since.

So next week, December 6th, I am scheduled for gastric sleeve surgery.  Once I lose enough weight, I will be undergoing what I hope will be my final hernia surgery.

I have hesitated saying anything on social media about it.  Twenty years ago (dang has it been 20 years???) I was fairly successful living a Low Carb lifestyle.  I learned how to cook healthy, colorful, tasty food, and enjoyed the process a lot!  But like most of those I know who fell off the low carb bandwagon, I gained my weight back.  I usually say "life got in the way" but really, I got in my own way.  

So I am putting this story out there, on my blog that has been all about my fun in the kitchen, and hoping no one in my low carb world is terribly disappointed in me.  I hope that my friends will be around and support me in my next chapter.  I am both excited and petrified at the same time.  I don't have a very good history of "easy" surgeries.  And I have been very hesitant about even sharing all of this on social media, but I've told several people in my "real" life.  So I feel supported, and I feel loved, and I GOT THIS!!!

Peace and love to all of you.  And "God forbid" should anything happen, know each and every one of you have been an important part of a life well lived.

Ain't No Pasta-Pasta Salad

 Last week I bought some pasta salad at a local grocery store.  It was gross.  And I know I need to stay away from all things carby....like pasta... so I started thinking about it and came up with this.  All ingredients except the herbs were bought at Aldi's, and I have enough left over for a nice veggie soup.

I've kind of lost my way in the Low Carb World in the last couple of years, and I need to get back to it.  This new recipe should help, and maybe it will spur my creativity on!

Ain't No Pasta-Pasta Salad

Ingredients  

1 med zucchini sliced and halved or quartered

1 med yellow squash sliced and halved or quartered

1 med red onion diced

4 ounces fresh mushrooms capped, and slice the caps (retain the stems for soup!)

4 ounces sliced black olives

1/2 cup diced peppers (I used 1 each of yellow, orange and red sweet mini peppers) seeded and sliced

4ounces hard salami. (I used mini rounds cut in half, but any size is fine if you cut into bite sized pieces) Or you could use pepperoni, or both!

8 ounces of mozzerella balls sliced in half (if you can find the mini balls, use them whole)

4 to 5 ounces cherry tomatoes, or any other small tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces.

4 to 6 ounces bottle of Italian Dressing or other vinaigarette (I used 3 cheese vinaigarette from Aldi's)

Optional for serving:

1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese

sprinkling of chives

basil

Steps

Now here is where it gets really complicated.....

1. Mix it all together and stir. Refrigerate over night to marry the flavors.

That's it!

Notes

Serve on a bed of lettuce if desired. You could add any fresh summer veggies you want. Some people like cucumbers in a salad like this, but cuc's and I don't get along very well unless you make a pickle out of them. 

Cheesy Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Spaghetti Squash has become my very favorite low carb veggie. It is so versatile.  I use it for a lot of my special recipes, such as Aunt Fran's Favorite Casserole or Hayden's Hash Brown Casserole.  It has become a more popular veggie and you can usually find it in any grocery store these days.  Very easy to cook and it freezes really well for grab and go cooking.  Depending on the moisture content of the squash, you may have to really squeeze out the liquid when it thaws out.  But usually there isn't a bunch of extra liquid when it's fresh cooked.  I think I've tried every method of cooking SS, from microwaving, to the oven, to the crock pot.  My favorite way is in the Power Air Fryer Oven.  I simply fix it the way I describe below.  But if you don't have an Air Fryer, you can always microwave it, or cook it in the oven.

This recipe reminds me of good old Mac & Cheese.  Warm and comforting.  And the cheese sauce can be used in a huge variety of ways. Over veggies, eggs, toast (LC of course).  And you can mix up your cheeses too.

Cheesy Creamy SS Casserole pictured with
Keto Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

1 8 oz block of cream cheese-room temperature

about 1 cup of Heavy Cream, Almond Milk, or half and half

2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I like cheddar)

2 tsp dried onion bits, or 2-3 tablespoons of grated fresh onion

1/2 tsp yellow mustard powder

1/2 tsp white pepper to taste

1/2 tsp salt to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder (Opt)

3 to 5 cups of cooked Spaghetti Squash About 1 large-ish squash (see how to prepare below)

Instructions:

1. put cream in a heavy stock pot on the stove over a low burner
2. once it's fairly warm, add the room temperature cream cheese and use a whisk to break it up a little bit.
3. allow it all to warm but not boil.  Slowly heating is best.
4. Add all the seasonings and whisk.
5. Add the shredded cheese and gently whisk till it's melted.
6. Pour over cooked Spaghetti Squash and onions in a casserole dish and mix.  Bake till browned and bubbly, about 35 minutes at 350  You may have more cheese sauce than you want, so it can be saved and gently reheated for veggies or eggs, etc.  All depends on how much SS you end up with and how saucy you want them to be.

To Cook Spaghetti Squash:


Cut squash in half, either length wise, for shorter strands, of cross wise for longer strands.  Using a large spoon, dig out all the seeds and membrane from the middle. (save the seeds for planting or roasting if you want to)  I use the cross ways cut and cook in my air fryer on 370 for 20-25 minutes.  Or you can bake it in the oven at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes.  Just until a fork sinks into the meat of it easily.  Let it cool a little bit (unless you like burning your hands) and use a fork to pull out the strands.

Thanksgiving Turkey and Un-Dressing

Tis that time of year again!  and I've been playing in the kitchen making some low carb sides.  Here is one I did over the weekend that was really good.  Turkey and Un-Dressing.

It starts with a good cornbread.  This recipe is my go-to for cornbread.

It is on the internet everywhere called Green Onion Corn Bread. But for this, I don't use the green onion.  In fact, not sure I've ever made it with the green onion.

this is the regular amount ingredients, but this makes a very thin cornbread when you use an 8 x 8 pan.  So I always double the recipe.

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1-2 green onions, chopped (not necessary)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted then cooled slightly
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until it is browning around the edges.  Will take a bit longer if you double the recipe.  When I bake this in a regular oven, it tends to not brown on top.  So I would hit it with a bit of broiler to brown it.  Now that I have a Power Air Fryer Oven, the top browns a little too well!  So I suggest covering it with foil for the first half of the cook time.  To bake this in the PAFO I used the "cake" preset button and added about 10 minutes to it.  I think the temperature is 320.  I need to double check that.

Now, if you can keep your fingers out of the corn bread, it's time to dry it out for the un-dressing.  I used the dehydrate setting on the PAFO and let it dry out for 4 hours.  All I did was crumble it onto parchment paper on the racks.  You could cube it, if you wanted to, for croutons.

Time to put the Un-Dressing together!

Ingredients for the Dressing

1 cup diced onion (more or less)

1 cup celery stalks sliced (more or less

1 quart chicken broth or stock

1 stick butter

3 or 4 cups diced turkey (or chicken)((the more chicken, the lower the carbs in a portion)

1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 small can of diced water chestnuts (Optional but I like the crunch it gives it)

2 hard boiled eggs (optional but it's good! next time I think I'll add more eggs)

double recipe of the cornbread listed above crumbled up, or diced up.

Cook the onion and celery in the butter until it starts to get tender.  Add the broth and cook it a while.

Put the cornbread, turkey, seasonings and water chestnuts (if using) in a big bowl and stir it up.  Pour the hot broth and veggies over it and stir well.  You might need to let it sit a few minute and stir it a few times to get all the liquid to absorb.

Pour it into a prepared pan about 9 x 13.  The one I used in the picture was probably 4 x 7 or 8 but rather deep.  Maybe 3 inches.  And I had a little left over for a "side car".  

I baked it at 320 in the air fryer (350 in a conventional oven) for about 45 minutes.  I would suggest covering it in foil for the first half of the cook so it doesn't over brown the top of it.  Also, if it looks drier than you would want, add more chicken broth.

This could easily be made ahead of time and reheated later.

TIPS!!

you could add the giblets from your turkey to the liquid for more flavor. You just have to cook them longer and then remove before adding to the cornbread mixture.    That might be a southern thing.

Also, if you are serving this along side the Turkey and trimmings, you can leave the turkey out of this.  I thought about browning a half pound of sausage to add to it instead of the turkey.

Hope you try this and let me know how you like it.

Happy Turkey Time!

This blog is not being used as a revenue maker!  I do this for my own pleasure, not to make money.  And it helps me remember how I made something.  LOL