This cacciatore is a classic in my kitchen and an excellent meal for cold weather days. Cacciatore is the Italian word for "hunters" so this is hunters' chicken, a hearty rich dish to feed hungry hunters after a chilly day in the woods. I enjoy cooking this on the weekends, filling the house with the smell of simmering herbs, onions and tomatoes.  It's a big recipe that will feed 4-6 people, just add enough chicken thighs for each serving, unless you are going vegetarian.  (Honestly, I can't decide whether I like the classic chicken cacciatore or the vegetarian version.  They are both so flavorful.)  This recipe is enough for two supper meals and a lunch too--like many saucy dishes it just gets better each day.

Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta
 
Sauce:
2 TB EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp fennel seed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
salt
2 TB tomato paste
2 cans of diced tomatoes in juice

Chicken:
2 TB EVOO
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
2 TB flour
Salt and pepper
 
Polenta:
3 c chicken stock or water
1 c milk
½ tsp salt
1 c corn meal (I like course meal, but the Italiani prefer fine meal)
1 TB butter
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
 
Film the bottom of a large heavy bottomed cooking pot, I use an enamel covered Dutch oven, with the oil over medium high heat.  When the oil is shiny, that means it’s hot, add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 3 min, until they begin to soften.  Add the garlic and the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook for 3 min.  Add the peppers and a pinch of salt (each time I add vegetables to a dish I season them with salt so that everything in the dish is evenly seasoned) and cook for 3 min.  Add the herbs and stir them in, cook for about 1 min until they begin to release their scents and make a hot spot in the center of the pan and add the tomato paste.  Let the paste cook without stirring for a minute allowing it to caramelize and then add the tomatoes and their juices.  Stir and bring it to the boil.  As soon as it begins to boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. 
*If you are cooking vegetarian, skip the chicken part obviously and make your polenta with water and milk if you wish, or just water.
 
While you are waiting for the sauce to boil you can begin the chicken.  Over medium high heat film the bottom of a non-stick saute pan.  Dredge the thighs in flour, shaking off any excess and put them in the oil, season with salt and pepper.  Cook 3 min on each side.  They will just be golden brown but not cooked through.  Remove them from the heat and place them in the sauce, it should be gently simmering by now.  Place a lid on the pot and simmer for 15 min or until the chicken is cooked through, it will be tender, no need for a knife.
 
If you do not like polenta, cacciatore is excellent over egg noodles or any other type of pasta, but if you want a winter treat, I suggest polenta.  Polenta is super easy, just know that for the next 10 min or so you cannot leave the kitchen.
 
Place a large, heavy bottomed pot on the stove over med high heat and add the stock and milk and then add the corn meal, stirring it in with a whisk—ta da—no lumps!  Now just keep stirring until you see steam beginning to rise and you can feel the polenta taking shape, it will begin to thicken.  Reduce the heat to the lowest setting on the smallest burner and continue stirring.  As the polenta thickens it will begin to resemble a golden pudding, when it is the consistency of a thick yogurt or like cream of wheat, remove it from the heat.  It will continue to cook and thicken so don’t be too concerned if it is a little lose.  Add the butter and parmesan cheese, stirring it in as it melts.  Taste and season with salt if needed.
 
To serve the cacciatore make a medium (polenta is very rich) mound in the center of a warmed plate or large open bowl, add a chicken thigh and ladle on the sauce.  Add a little parmesan cheese and enjoy.  Buon appetito!

We are celebrating our 12th year of building the yoga community in Blackfoot with special classes and events throughout the month of October.  So here's the back story:

In 2007 I saw a flyer for free yoga for the month of October at the community center and joined about twenty other enthusiastic yogis.  The teacher, Larinda, was great, the yoga was great, the setting was dismal, but hey, we were doing yoga.  At the end of the month we asked Larinda if the classes would continue.  Little did we know that the free classes were a required component of her very first training and Just Breathe Yoga was born.
 
Classes continued and our yoga community began to grow and strengthen.
During the first several years Larinda pursued her yoga training, traveling throughout the country for weekend trainings, while attending school during the week.  After reaching her first goal in 2012, graduating with her 200-hour RYT.  Larinda asked me to teach on occasion to allow her more time to focus on school.  In 2014 I completed my yoga training in India.  And now in her own words…Larinda was thrilled.  She knew Just Breathe Yoga was in good hands and turned the business over to me so she could finish her engineering degree.  Which she did with honors!
 
In twelve years, we have practiced in many different locations, a community center, a dance studio, an art gallery, a salon/photo studio and in a tiny studio in a behavioral health clinic, before we built our forever home here on the farm.  We have grown from one teacher, one class a week to classes five days a week with three different teachers.  And, in true yoga tradition, every teacher here began as a student at Just Breathe Yoga.

Chakra Alignment & Crystal Sound BatheFriday, Oct 4, 7 pm$10, pre-payment and register required 
After a special yoga session activating and invigorating your chakras, the seven energy centers along your spine, Kebbie Williams will play her crystal bowls, washing sweet sound vibrations over your mind, body and soul.  Herbal teas in chakras red, yellow and blue, for after.
 
Henna Hen PartyFriday, Oct 18, 7 pm$20, pre-payment and registration required 
Katelyn Pincock of Cortlyn Creations will be in the house to cover you in henna tattoos.  Henna is a natural dye, used for centuries to create temporary tattoos.  You can see some of her work here: cortlyn creations
 
This is an evening for celebrating and socializing, communing with your yoga community.  We’ll provide drinks and desserts and you are welcome to bring something to share, but do not feel obligated.
 
Yoga for the Office by LarindaTuesday, Oct 22, 7 pm 
If you work in an office setting and are bound to a desk every day this class is for you.  Our founder, Larinda, who now rides a desk, has created a series of short vinyasas to yoga-up long days at work.  Each mini flow works and lengthens tight muscles and re-energizes your body.
 
Just Breathe Yoga HoodiesDon’t forget to order your very own super cool Just Breathe Yoga hoodie.  Deep charcoal, cotton/poly blend hoodies with our very own yoga-licious logo in S, M, LRG & EXLRG.  $25, zippered hoodies $27.  Sign-up sheet in studio.
 

Introduction to Traditional Thai Massage with Elizabeth Drapela
September 28 & 29  CANCELLED

Just Breathe is delighted to welcome Elizabeth back for another workshop.  She is teaching a 2-day Thai Massage workshop open to professional massage therapists and lovers of yoga.  This course offers an introduction to the basic concepts of this spiritual form of bodywork. Techniques include a combination of gentle rocking, passive stretching, rhythmic compression, soft tissue manipulation and energy balancing that works to deeply open, relax, and revitalize the entire body. You will learn to flow effortlessly between postures and apply pressure with confidence while integrating compassion and meditation into your work. Students will learn asanas for supine, prone, side lying and seated positions.

Elizabeth Drapela has taught various massage workshops since 1999. She has spent many winters studying Traditional Thai Massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand with several teachers, most notably with Ajharn Pichest Boonthamme, one of Thailand’s most respected masters. In addition to maintaining a busy massage practice Elizabeth also teaches yoga. Her classes incorporate serious focus, spirituality and playful joy. Elizabeth Drapela is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider.

Classes begin Saturday, 8:30am - 5:30pm
Class fees: $250 for 16 CE hours
Early Bird discount: Only $225 if payment is
received at least 2 weeks prior to course.

You can sign up with Jeriann at Just Breathe Yoga
or
Make checks payable to Elizabeth Drapela
Send to: PO Box 13714, Jackson, WY 83002
For more info call 307-690-1117 or email [email protected]

A mala is a strand of beads traditionally used during meditation, but constructing a mala can be a meditative experience.  Knotting each bead evokes a very peaceful state of mind.  Throughout the project you'll discover significance and meaning in every step.  

For centuries malas have been used to chant mantras, slipping a finger over a bead after each repetition. But these beautiful beads can also be used for pure adornment or as a gratitude garland to count your blessings.  All the beads are semi-precious stones, crystals that correspond to the chakras.
Friday, May 31
7 pm
$25, you must pre-register with Jeriann 
Just Breathe Yoga Studio