Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian dish typically made with chicken, mushrooms, onions, garlic and various spices including thyme, parsley, and oregano and served over pasta or rice. It’s referred to as a “hunters stew” and in the past has also been know to be made with rabbit.

Though not traditional, more modern preparations of the dish include chopped tomatoes which results in a sauce instead of the gravy that the chicken on its own produces.
Chicken Cacciatore
from Martha Stewart
1-1/2 3-pound chickens, cut into 12 pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms or white mushrooms, quartered
2 large onions, sliced 1/4 …read more

I’m so excited that it’s finally September! It doesn’t necessarily mean cooler weather where I’m at (that’s October), but I do like that it’s finally pulling out of the “dog days” of summer and that cooler nights and shorter days are on the way.

September is also the bearer of several food holidays! I couldn’t figure out where most of these originate, and chances are good that even though they say “national” holidays they’re usually not. That doesn’t make them any less worthy of being recognized and celebrated, though! September is:
National Biscuit Month:
~ Biscuit Recipes.net
~ Alton’s Southern Biscuits
~ Simple Baking Powder …read more

Did you know today is “Day of the Mushroom?” I don’t know why it doesn’t get “national” or “holiday” in its title, but the poor mushroom has to take what it can get sometimes.

Personally, I love mushrooms, as do a lot of my friends and family which would make it fun to “celebrate” today if I had thought ahead and gotten some fresh mushrooms! But I didn’t, so here’s what I’ve got bookmarked for when I do:
~ Mushroom Recipe Collection. Everything from stuffed mushrooms to creamed mushrooms to mushrooms on toast.
~ Risotto with Wild Mushrooms
~ Sausage Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms
~ Portobello …read more

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for new and interesting things to serve for breakfast or brunch on the weekends. After all, you can only have cereal so many days in a row. Below is an excellent spring recipe that you can make ahead and just pop in the oven, courtesy of the people at Whole Foods Market. For an elegant lunch, serve it with a salad of spring greens.

Mushroom and Gruyere Quiche
Ingredients
1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters or eighths, depending on size
1/4 pound portobello mushroom caps, diced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, cut into …read more

These are some of the important and interesting  stuff on cancer that I missed while I was enjoying the beach:

Anthocyanidins May Help Treat Leukemia
Mushrooms to Prevent Breast Cancer
Pomegranate Juice May Help Fight Lung Cancer
Risk of Head and Neck Cancer Reduced with Fruits and Veggies

Do check them out.
Now you know that I am not only in the summer vacation mode but also in the “pig out mode”.
(Where I am is summer, sorry to confuse our readers of the west!)