Mouthing Off

© Christina Holmes / Thai Chicken Stew

Today in NPR’s Kitchen Window series, food writer Michele Kayal describes how wonderful it can be to come home to a warm, fragrant kitchen where a slow cooker has been working all day. Her ode to the versatile kitchen appliance includes a brief history of slow-cooking in other cultures, from Hawaii’s underground ovens, known as imus, to Moroccan tagines. An all-American slow cooker works beautifully for ethnic dishes as well, like this Thai-Inspired Chicken Stew, which develops a richly complex curry flavor despite only 20 minutes of active cooking.

Related: Slow Cooker Recipes
Great Thai Dishes
Fantastic Curries

© Tina Rupp / Chicken Tagine

Thanks to fur-trapper-turned-food-innovator Clarence Birdseye, frozen foods went on sale 82 years ago today in Springfield, MA. While fresh-from-the-garden fruits and vegetables are ideal, frozen produce is a good way to eat balanced meals year-round. Get a jump on spring with Joël Robuchon’s Chicken Tagine, a healthy Moroccan stew that calls for both frozen peas and artichoke hearts.

Related: Delicious Moroccan Recipes
Recipes for Spring Produce
Healthy Main Dishes

© Stephanie Meyer / Asopao

 In a recent interview with Eater, the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods host and F&W contributing editor, Andrew Zimmern, said he hopes to transition into politics for the next phase of his career. Zimmern cites his “globalist perspective” as an asset for a future campaign, but world travels have also greatly influenced his fantastic recipes for our series Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures, like this Trini-style Asopao with Chicken and Shrimp. The “stewy rice casserole” makes a delicious and multicultural one-pan family dinner. Zimmern's fans shouldn't hold their breath for his political coup just yet. The TV chef isn't quite ready to make moves. “The show has never been more popular, and I have many years ahead of me in my active media life,” he told Eater.

Related: More One-Pan Meals
Recipes from Andrew Zimmern
Fantastic Rice Dishes

Texas may be out of the national spotlight now that Top Chef Texas has ended, but the Lone Star State still has something to celebrate. Today is Texas Independence Day, which commemorates the day Texas split from Mexico to become the Republic of Texas in 1836. Whether you’re in Texas, from Texas or just like big Texas flavors, cowgirl/chef Paula Disbrowe’s Texas Chicken—cooked with annato seeds, sweet carrot juice, vinegar, bay leaves, thyme, garlic and chiles—is a delicious, indoor-kitchen-friendly way to honor of the state’s holiday, especially when paired with a Lone Star beer.

Related: Texas-Style Barbecue
Great Beer Pairings
Amazing Tex-Mex

Rosemary won’t just make your food more delicious—it might also make you more intelligent. A recent study from the University of Northumbria, UK, found that the oils responsible for rosemary’s intense scent improve mental speed and accuracy. Improve your cognition with a superfast, one-pan dinner of Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Rosemary.

Related: One-Pan Meals
Cooking with Rosemary
Chicken Breast Recipes

Latina chefs are moving into the spotlight, according to the Associated Press. Miami-based Michelle Bernstein, owner ofboth Michy's and Sra. Martinez, believes that Latin cuisine is matriarchal by tradition. "We all grew up around mom in the kitchen, that's just how it was," she says. "And maybe that just better represents what Latin food is, coming from the momma." Underscoring the importance of gathering around the table, Bernstein's Mixed Grill with Chimichurri Sauces and Roasted Peppers, which features both chicken breasts and livers, is best served family style for a vibrant and hearty feast.

Related: More Latin American Dishes
Fantastic Grilled Meats
Great Female Chefs

If you ever get a chance to go into space, don't forget the hot sauce. As strange as it sounds, NPR explains that astronauts crave Tabasco sauce because zero gravity causes them to lose their sense of smell, resulting in dulled taste buds. If scientists could only dehydrate it, the space shuttle could serve this Southern Baked Chicken Casserole from Jennifer Nettles. Nettles adds Tabasco to a quick, creamy white sauce that coats the chicken. Astronaut-level heat-lovers can always add a few dashes more.

Related: Great Southern Recipes
Hot and Spicy Recipes
Delicious Casseroles

Many Americans are taking to the kitchen to better understand their genealogy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Using vintage cookbooks, family testimonials and sense memories, home cooks can recreate long-lost recipes. Chefs have always looked to their family heritage for inspiration. For F&W's Jerk Cornish Game Hens, chef Bradford Thompson honored his wife's Jamaican background, basing the spicy jerk sauce on her family’s recipe. Its complex heat is equally delicious on grilled chicken.

Related: More Jerk Recipes
Great Caribbean Dishes
Delicious Grilled Chicken

Following a whopping three-out-of-four-starreview of Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria, the casual Italian gourmet-shop-cum-restaurant, New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells continues to surprise readers today by awarding a star to Danny Meyer’s burger chain, Shake Shack. While Wells admits that the quality of a Shake Shack burger can be inconsistent, he declares that, “on occasion it was magnificent, as beefy and flavorful as the outer quarter-inch of a Peter Luger porterhouse.” Even if you can't stop into one of Meyer's cult quick-serve joints, burgers can make fast and satisfying weeknight dinners at home. Healthier than beef, these Spicy Chicken Burgers are poached in broth to keep them moist and flavorful, then served on pita bread with an avocado mash.

Related: Best Burgers in the U.S.
Delicious Burger Pairings
More Guilt-Free Burgers

This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for the 2012 James Beard Awards. As if New Orleans didn't have enough to celebrate today with Mardi Gras raging through town, one of the nominees for the esteemed Outstanding Chef category is NOLA's Donald Link of Herbsaint and Cochon. For our Chef Recipes Made Easy column, Link shared this spiced Crispy Chicken Leg Confit, which F&W simplifies by cooking the meat in pantry-ready olive oil as opposed to duck fat. If you season the chicken tonight, you can bake it for a flavorful weeknight meal tomorrow.

Related: More Recipes from New Orleans Chefs
New Orleans Cocktails
Great Chef Recipes Made Easy