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The Flying Chef's Pandemic Pantry series continues (listen to the whole segment on KFQD HERE) with this can-do soup, made with ingredients you've probably got in your cupboard already.  Even if you don't and have to go to the store, canned beans and soups are still easily found on store shelves. 
Try this fast, tasty meal with a tossed green salad. Add a crusty artisan bread instead of corn chips if desired. 

Ingredients
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can sweet corn
1 can chicken
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 can diced green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 packet taco seasoning
Tortilla chips
Cilantro to garnish

Procedure:
Open cans ( it's just that easy).
Drain and rinse cans of beans and chicken.
Add all ingredients except cilantro and chips,  and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve and plate with chips or warmed bread.
Garnish with cilantro.

~TFC 

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There's a challenge afoot, readers of The Flying Chef Journal. How many recipes can yours truly come up with involving canned ingredients from the pantry? Mission accepted, especially when the results are broadcast on KFQD radio in Anchorage. The full episode will air tomorrow morning (Tuesday), but in the meantime, here's the first of four 'can-do' recipes (see what I did there). 
Getting creative is one of the hallmarks of this COVID-19 craziness, and the first recipe out of the gate sure did deliver. Canned black beans and brownie mix. What could go wrong? 
Turns out, nothing! The beans provided an earthy, nutty flavor and density that made these brownies something to be proud of.  So give it a try and let me know what you think. 

​INGREDIENTS
1 box brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker brand)
1 can low-sodium black beans
Water - according to package directions
Egg - according to package directions
Oil - according to package directions

PROCEDURE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or as recommended on box for your pan type).
Follow package directions for mixing brownies.
Open can of beans, and rinse thoroughly in a strainer.
Place brownie mix and beans in a blender or food processor.
Blend together until no chunks of beans remain.
Pour into greased baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
Cool, cut, and serve.
~TFC 

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Remember that chicken you roasted yesterday? Today it will become a comforting meal that everyone in your family will eat. 
Just what is it about casseroles? These one-dish wonders that are known also by other names -- "hot dish," "covered dish," or perhaps something else in your family. Casseroles are true comfort food, called such because of the sense of nostalgia they provide, especially in times like now. 
This hearty, warming dish is made even more delicious by the leftover chicken roasted in yesterday's post. Today's lunch or dinner meal is the second in my installment of "Pandemic Pantry" recipes, and is a sure bet to help you feel good in these troubled times. 
A note: If you'd like to stretch this dish even further, serve over hot rice or wide egg noodles. 
Hey, and I hope you'll tune in to my latest radio appearance with KFQD, where I expand upon the Pandemic Pantry options, and how we can all help one another and appreciate our food service workers during this difficult time. 

Ingredients
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, or cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups panko or Italian bread crumbs (some mothers in the 1950's and 60's used corn flakes or other dry cereals;  do what you remember fondly)
6 Tbs butter, melted
Salt/pepper to taste

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350F
Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish
Combine soup, chicken, salt/pepper, and shredded cheese and spread in dish
In a large bowl, stir bread crumbs and melted butter, top casserole 

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until bubbling, and topping is golden brown

~ TFC 

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​Here's the thing about ramen noodles --  those squiggly, narrow noodles most of us cooked in two minutes or less during less-affluent times in our lives: They are not all created equal. Good ramen noodles are slightly-sweet, wheaty-flavored goodness with just a bit of chew to their texture. Ramen comes in three styles; fresh, dried, and fried (we are all familiar with the "blocks" of noodles that come wrapped in plastic and sold with a spice packet, yes?). Hey, eat what pleases you, but if you can get fresh ramen noodles at a local store, do it, then make this "to-go" style ramen recipe that serves up well at lunchtime, no matter where you might be. 

INGREDIENTS 
2 small mason jars (pint)
1 package ramen noodles
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp hot sauce
1 cup shredded chicken
1 cup spinach, chopped
½ cup carrot, cut julienne-style 
2 TBS sliced green onions

PROCEDURE
Cook ramen noodles like you always do, according to directions on package
Run cold water in the pot of ramen to stop the cooking process and preserve noodles' firm texture
Tear open ramen flavor packet and pour in the bottom of the mason jar
Split the soy, ginger, and hot sauce between the two jars 
Add the chicken, then layer the spinach and carrots. Top with the chopped green onions and screw the lid on.
Refrigerate.
When ready to dine, boil water and pour into jar, just topping the ingredients
Screw the lid back on and let steep for 3 minutes.
Remove lid. Stir, and enjoy!

~TFC 

​Did you think you blew it this Valentines Day? 
There is still time to recover;  even at this late hour.
This quick treat is sure to fire up the one you love -- Or, at least, get you out of the doghouse.

American Airlines has long been known for their ice cream desserts for their First Class cabin passengers, and this chocolate-berry combination is a treat to behold. It might even remind you of a time when, you know, flights were something special to dress up for. 


First Class Ice Cream


Ingredients:
- 4 oz. frozen berries, such as strawberries or raspberries, blended and poured in a parfait glass to be re-frozen as a single layer.
- 1 large scoop of Ben and Jerry’s Karamel Sutra or, you know, something like that.
- 4 chunks dark chocolate for the top; I used Cadbury brand.


Procedure:
Thaw frozen berries just enough to slightly blend and pour in to glass. Re- freeze.
Add a large scoop of Karamel Sutra, or other yummy flavor ice cream.
Place 4 or more chunks of dark chocolate on top and place back in freezer until ready to eat…
Prep time: 10 minutes
1 decadent serving per glass.

~TFC 

​Ah, cauliflower; the vegetable our parents tried to make us eat. But now that we are grownups, cauliflower's once-cringy rap has been replaced by a multitude of recipes and several varieties of this cruciferous nutritional powerhouse. 
Cauliflower is packed with Vitamin C, Folate, Vitamin K, and B 12, and should be on everyone's list of Foods to Eat On a Regular Basis. Why isn't it? Most of us only remember the mushy, stinky vegetable steamed with a plop of butter to make it more "appetizing." 
But cauliflower, when cooked properly, can be a fresh addition to sides, and makes a great veggie-based main dish casserole. The recipe below uses an air fryer to roast cauliflower in about 10 minutes without any mushiness. Don't have an air fryer? A sheet pan works well under the broiler, just be sure to watch the cauliflower very carefully. 

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, rinsed and chopped (look for creamy-white heads with no spots or yellow color anywhere)
1 TBS curry powder
3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Procedure (using air fryer)
Chop cauliflower in bite-size pieces
In a bowl toss cauliflower,  curry and oil
Add to air fryer and cook for 10 minutes

If using a sheet pan, line the pan with foil and broil for 10 minutes, turning often with tongs
Same 10 minutes… turn often.

~TFC 

​French onion soup looks like it should be a simple dish. Cook onions, add stock, simmer; add bread, melt cheese. Serve. Easy, right? 
Almost. 
The key to all excellent French onion soups centers around how one cooks the onions, a process called caramelizing. Low and slow, deglazing with broth as needed, until a soft product with a deep, brown color that produces a hint of sweetness. I give a tip for those interested in speeding up the process, but it's better if you don't.
This French onion soup recipe uses Gruyere cheese for a mellow, smooth topping on what is surely to be a favorite for frigid winter nights. 

INGREDIENTS
3 large onions, sliced thin (any type of onion will do, but yellow onions make a delicious soup, and are cheaper)
2 oz clarified butter
3 quarts beef stock
4 oz sherry
4 oz Alaska Distillery Bristol Bay Gin (or a similar, less-juniper-y gin) 
A sachet, or tea ball ,containing; 
  3 parsley stems
  1 bay leaf
  ¼ tsp cracked black peppercorns
  ½ tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf dry French bread, sliced
½ pound Gruyere cheese
 
PROCEDURE
In soup kettle or dutch oven, cook sliced onions in butter until a deep brown color develops. Add small amounts of broth if necessary to prevent burning. In a hurry (but try not to be)? Add a pinch of sugar at this point to speed caramelizing.
Add sherry and deglaze. Continue to cook until the onions and broth have a slightly-syrupy consistency.
Add remaining broth and sachet of herbs.
Simmer up to 25 minutes and remove sachet. Add the Bristol Bay Gin and stir. 
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in to bowls and top with bread as pictured (above). Add Gruyere cheese and place under a broiler until desired cheese melt is achieved.
Serve carefully, bowls are hot.