Mary Cooks

Ziploc Owns It and Trader Joe's Spices It Up

2012-01-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

Two heck yeahs today.

First, thank you, Ziploc, for making something so totally awesome that simplifies my life and helps my diet.

So far I have only used these for cooking chicken breasts but I have heard they are great for cooking vegetables, too. For the past week I have gotten to work, thrown one of these bags containing a frozen chicken breast into the microwave for 5 minutes, and had some awesome protein for breakfast. I am finding that having a protein packed breakfast really starts my day off right. Anyway, these are amazing bags and have definitely earned a place on my permanent shopping list.

Another heck yeah is this Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute.

I sprinkle some of this into the aforementioned bags with chicken and it flavors the chicken so much! I have yet to try it on scrambled eggs but I am looking forward to it. I think it has superceded my previous favorite (a Cajun Creole mix that's also good).

You have got to go try these items. They will change your life!

Red Thai Chicken Curry with Cauliflower

2012-01-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

I made this Weight Watchers recipe a week or so ago and liked it but wanted to figure out how to make it slightly better. Whenever I've had red or green curry in a Thai restaurant it was soupier than the original recipe. I definitely wanted to replicate that as well as add more vegetables. So, I did! Here's the original recipe, courtesy of Weight Watchers:

Ingredients
3/4 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thigh(s), boneless, cut into chunks
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp canola oil
1 item(s) (medium) uncooked bell pepper(s), yellow, seeded and thinly sliced
6 medium uncooked scallion(s), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 tsp thai curry paste, red variety
2 tsp sugar
14 fl oz light coconut milk
12 oz uncooked cauliflower, florets only
6 oz shredded carrot(s)
1/2 cup(s) basil, fresh purple or green leaves

Instructions
Sprinkle the chicken with the salt. Heat 1⁄2 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon oil to the same skillet, then add the bell pepper and scallions. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the scallions turn bright green, about 3 minutes. Add the curry paste and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk, cauliflower, and carrots; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet and heat through, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the basil. Yields 1 1/2 cups per serving.

OK, on to the photos!

First, get the mise en place set up so when it's go time you don't have to worry about measuring. My additions to the recipe are green beans, bamboo shoots, chicken broth, fish sauce, and I used broccoli slaw this time instead of shredded carrots simply because that's what I had on hand. Also, I used a different color pepper but it was still a sweet one. Finally, I omitted the table salt.

After setting all of that up, I figured I earned a drink. What? It was Saturday night!

Go time. Sauté the chicken thighs.

After they're sautéed, let them hang out for a bit.

Sauté the peppers, green beans, and onions.

After a few minutes add red curry paste according to your taste. I used two of these dollops but probably could have used one more.

Gimme some sugar!

Stir constantly for about a minute and then add the liquids: light coconut milk, 3/4 c. chicken broth, and a tablespoon of fish sauce.

Let it come to a boil then add the cauliflower, broccoli slaw, and can of bamboo shoots.

The smell at this point is utterly amazing.

Put a ~~bird~~ lid on it and let it simmer for about 5 or so minutes, until the vegetables are softened.

Finally, add the chicken and stir in the basil.

Now ... eat! 1 1/2 cups is a great portion. I added 3/4 cup of brown rice and it was so filling and delicious. This scratches the Thai food itch that I get quite frequently and I love that I can eat Thai food without guilt!

Trader Joe's Finds

2012-01-13T21:40:00.000-08:00

One meh, one yeah!

First, the meh:

Freeze Dried Raspberries.
They are very, very tart. They also are very seedy. Honestly, even though the bag is one serving and I was kind of snacking on them all afternoon at work I couldn't finish the bag. Between the extreme tartness (and I usually like tart!) and the excessive seeds there was no way this was a pleasant experience, unfortunately. They are 3 Points Plus for the whole bag.

Now, the yeah:

These fiber bars are kind of like Fiber One's Oats and Chocolate bar only better. Less calories, and actually more chocolate-y. And more peanut butter-y. This was a win-win here. Instead of practically inhaling it like I sometimes want to do with Fiber One bars I savored it. It was really rich and pretty dense so well worth taking my time with it. I actually put it down halfway through eating it. I LOVED it and hope Trader Joe's keeps them around for a long, long time. These bars are 3 Points Plus each and well worth it. (Fiber One Oats & Chocolate is now 4 Points Plus each.)

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By the way, HI! :D I am cooking a bit more but my kitchen is small and not very maneuverable. I am doing Weight Watchers again but for real this time. I'm really interested in reviewing food that's WW friendly. It could be a warning or recommendation to others. And you all know I've got an opinion!

I will do other recipes as well. Tomorrow I'm going to cook a WW recipe that I'm going to modify a bit because while it was good when I first made it I think I have a way to make it KICK BUTT. And life is too short to eat things that don't kick butt!

Wow!

2011-09-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

What has happened in the past year?

My cousins and I have opened a nice restaurant in Seattle. It opened January 3, 2011. I stuck with it until August when I decided that the restaurant business isn't really for me at this time due to my family situation. I went back to insurance and have been trying to get into a routine. That said, I fully plan on making this blog active again.

Tomorrow I am going to my parents' house and will be brining chickens and putting them on the grill. We used to do this over a year ago and they came out so awesome. I'm going to do it again and I'll bring my camera to document the process.

In the meantime, this was how I spent a lot of the summer:

Not bad, right? Chateau Bas rosé is delicious. And, yes, that's the patio of our restaurant.

I learned a lot about wine over the past year and I anticipate writing more about it here in the future.

Wine Pairings

2010-10-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today I am working on wine pairings for my cousin's menu. I know wine...but the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know much about it!

I have got one pairing down. I need to do two more. I wish I could sneak my camera into the event tonight to show photos. I may be able to sneak some cell phone photos, though!

Return!

2010-10-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have moved to a new place and am just getting my bearings. After Mr Mary Cooks died I barely cooked, if you can believe it. This is the first week I have even taken the time to create a weekly meal plan. Although this week has been a little crazy and we haven't always adhered to the plan it still gives me comfort that it is there for me as a guideline.

Last night I made the most fantastic cocktail but I don't have a name for it yet. I am open to suggestions.

I have to keep the exact proportions under wraps for just now (sorry!!) but I will tell you it contains gin (Aviation Gin, to be exact), lemon juice, and rosemary simple syrup. It's delicious served up (as pictured).

There is something completely exciting happening right now in my life as regards food. When things go through I will share but, at this point, I feel like I have to keep things a little close to my chest until they are resolved. I do need whatever good mojo you can send me, though, because this thing is HUGE!

Buitoni Ravioli Blind Taste Test

2010-07-31T14:52:00.001-07:00

When Foodbuzz asked me to make two vegetable side dishes to go with Buitoni's new frozen meals for two I jumped at the chance. Foodbuzz gave me 10 coupons for free Buitoni meals and a stipend. My middle son's birthday was just in time to take advantage of this. Plus, my little foodie wanted a fancy birthday dinner for himself and his friends. Done!

First, the side dishes. I made a salad with spinach and arugula mixed about 50/50.

I bought some glazed walnuts at teh store and used the bag.

Then, I sliced some strawberries.

I chunked off goat cheese from the log and put it in the salad.

Then, I made a simple vinaigrette: 1/4 c. white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, shallots, salt and pepper.

I whisked it together and mixed it in with the salad.

Guest starring in this blog post is Grandma Mary Cooks! She chopped the vegetables for me.

In olive oil, I sautéed zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, red bell pepper, shallots, and cherry tomatoes with some white wine.

After all of the vegetables were crisp-tender I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top.

I cooked all of the raviolis and their various sauces.

We made three types of Buitoni raviolis:

Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli

Four Cheese & Spinach Ravioli

Chicken & Mushroom Ravioli

The Tween rings the triangle for his friends to come to the dinner table:

The spread!!

Everyone really loved the Four Cheese & Spinach ravioli and the Chicken & Mushroom ravioli. I was surprised that the Shrimp & Lobster ravioli was not hit harder but I liked it a lot. As usual, I cooked so much food! No one knew I had heated up the sauce instead of cooking it myself! Score! Buitoni's stuff is spot on as usual. The preparation was so easy. As the water was heating up, I put the sauce packets in the pot. Once the water boiled, the sauce was ready to come out and the ravioli went in. Easy peasy.

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Here's where we get to a difficult part of the blog. Mr Mary Cooks unexpectedly passed away just two days before we had this birthday dinner. I mention this because we had to buy a cake from the store. We will all miss the awesome cakes that he made (along with every single thing about him).

All in all, The Tween had a good day surrounded with his friends, their families, and love.

Special thanks to Foodbuzz and Buitoni!!

Pork Tenderloin with Polenta and Mushroom Tomato Sauce

2010-06-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

At the store the other day I got a copy of the newest Clean Eating magazine. They have a great recipe in there for pork tenderloin that makes two meals.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. pork tenderloin
2 cups polenta
24 oz. jar natural tomato basil pasta sauce
1 lb. mushrooms
oregano
sea salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray and place the pork tenderloins on it. Season them with oregano, sea salt, and pepper. Put the pan in the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms.

Spray another jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the mushrooms on the pan and sprinkle with pepper. After the pork has cooked for 10 minutes put the mushrooms in the oven with the pork and roast both for about 20 minutes.

Pour 8 cups of water into a large pot and bring to a boil.

After the water is boiling, pour in the polenta slowly and stir.

Stir the polenta with a long handled wooden spoon until it is cooked, about 10 minutes.

Get the pork out of the oven and let stand for 10 minutes or so.

Heat the pasta sauce until it is warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms to the sauce and heat through, about 2 minutes.

Slice the pork in order to serve. Only slice one tenderloin.

After serving polenta to everyone's plates pour it in an 8x8 pan for the next dinner.

I served about 1/2 cup of polenta, 1/2 cup or pasta sauce, and a quarter of one of the tenderloins on each plate. The leftovers will be used for a different meal in a few days.

This was delicious comfort food. Everyone except the preschooler loved it, but she doesn't like anything. ;-) (Okay, she did love the banana bread in the previous post!)

Banana Bread

2010-06-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been since April when I last posted. I am going to be more dedicated to this blog now and suddenly seem to have a lot more spare time. Economy, anyone?

Yesterday was my daughter's "Special Sharing Day" at preschool. What this means is she gets to bring a toy or two to share and talk about at school. It's sort of like show-and-tell only she gets to let other kids play with her special toys. It's optional, but she can also bring in a snack for all of the kids. Since we had four overripe bananas in the house I decided to get up early and make banana bread. I want to tinker with the recipe to see if I can make it ultra-healthy (it's already healthy) using wheat flour and agave nectar instead of sugar so we'll see. Next time I have bananas in need of mashing I'm going to play!

Here's the healthy recipe:

------------------

Healthy Banana Bread

Makes one loaf
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

* 2 eggs
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 2 ripe bananas, mashed
* 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
* 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I like Almond Breeze)
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and lightly flour the pan.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar on medium together for 5 minutes. At the end you should have a custard consistency. Turn the beater to low and beat the bananas, yogurt, almond milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract until all liquid ingredients are incorporated.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold into the liquid ingredients with a spatula until just moistened. Do not overly mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and put in the oven for about 1 hour. Check after 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean the bread is done. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Then remove from pan and continue to cool the loaf on the rack for another 30 minutes if you can resist the pull of warm banana bread.

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I was only able to take two photos since I was in a hurry to get it done and get my daughter to school. First is a photo of the batter in loaf pans ready to go into the oven and second is a photo of the delicious bread. I made two loaves but please note the recipe above is only for one loaf.

Unfortunately I did not get to taste this. However, every single person who I saw at the daycare yesterday evening told me how delicious it was. One of the women who works at the daycare said there was a little left and wanted to have it for breakfast this morning! My daughter said, "I LOVED it!!"

Wine Photos

2010-04-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row I have come home from a wine event with more whites than reds. Hmmm... White wines tend to be more affordable, especially in Woodinville. Finding a $10 bottle of wine was impossible, which is frustrating. When I go to the Spring Barrel Opening in Yakima Valley there are plenty of decent $10 wines.

Anyway, here we go.

Brian Carter Cellars Corrida.
According to the website: Spanish-style Red Blend (Exclusive to Wine Club members)
Modeled after the noble Tempranillo based blends of Spain, the wine also contains Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Granacha. A beautiful dark garnet color greets you with aromas of blackberry, rose petals, cedar and spice. Plenty of fruit flavors envelope the mouth along with soft tannins and a long juicy finish.

Because I joined the wine club yesterday I was able to get two bottles and a tasting of it. It was delicious! Seriously - so yummy. It was smooth but complex.

Brian Carter Cellars Oriana. Again, from the website:

ORIANA (Latin for 'golden lady')
Uniquely Aromatic White Wine Blend
Oriana utilizes two grapes originally from the Rhone Valley of France. The core variety, Viognier, is rich in aromas of peaches and apricots and Roussanne deepens the peach character and adds a hint of melons. Then blend is finished with Riesling to add a touch of pears and apple blossoms. This richly textured wine finishes with food friendly acidity.

I've had this wine before (a couple of years ago) and loved it. Brian Carter is a mad genius of wine blending. Seriously.

Northwest Totem Cellars Salish. It's a white blend that is refreshing and semi-dry. It will be perfect for a summer dinner.

Airfield Estate Winery's Bombshell Red.
From the website: 41% Syrah, 35% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Sangiovese, 4% Malbec, 3% Cab Franc

A beloved favorite of many, this approachable signature red table blend has overlapping aromas of oak, vanilla, raspberry jam, and blackcurrants, leaving lingering flavors of dark fruit and toasted oak on the palate. With a rounded, full-bodied mouthfeel, this red blend provides supple tannins ample for pairing with a wide range of foods.

Airfield Estate Winery's Unoaked Chardonnay. I have discovered that I rather enjoy unoaked Chardonnay (but still don't like oaked Chardonnay). From their website:
Crisp, dry, and refreshing with aromas of honeysuckle, melon, and tropical fruit, this 100% stainless steel fermented Chardonnay showcases authentic varietal characteristics. Citrus flavors engage the palate with a round, lively mouthfeel and a lingering finish. This wine is enjoyable on its own or pairs nicely with seafood and pan-Asian cuisine.

This is the wine I was waiting to taste. I was pretty excited! It is Northwest Totem Cellars Late Harvest Viognier. To say this is delicious is a vast understatement. It is definitely a dessert wine but not overly syrupy or sickly sweet. I love it!

Efesté Evergreen Riesling. From their website:
The Evergreen Riesling combines mineral and slate with flavors of white peach and linden. This wine finishes with wonderful focus and a backbone of mandarin orange.

This wine would be fantastic with Asian food. I could easily see drinking it with some nice Thai food.

Hestia's Chenin Blanc. This was crisp and wonderful! This would be really great with chicken or a light fish like tilapia.

Chatter Creek's Orange Muscat. For some reason this wine is not on their website. This was sweet, light, and a perfect brunch wine.

Page Cellars Lick My Lips Syrah. Are you joking me? Did I really pay $27 for a bottle of Syrah? Oh, yes, I did. It is soooooooooo jammy and yummy. My undying love for the Syrah grape lives on.

Cuillin Hills Dungeon Syrah is another delicious Syrah! From their website:
Varietals: 86% Syrah, 14% Grenache
Vineyards: Snipes Canyon, Meek, Sagemoor Weinbau
Cooperage: 35% New, Mixed
Aging: 20 Months

Tasting notes provided by Wine Advocate-
“The 2007 The Dungeon Syrah also contains 14% Grenache. Dark ruby/purple in color, it offers up a spicy nose of meat, game, underbrush, kirsch, and blueberry notes. Layered, dense, and sweetly-fruited, this impeccably balanced, large-scaled effort will drink well for another 8 years.”

Recommendations: Decant min. 15 to 30 minutes.

Oh yes, yes, yes. I am going to be cellaring this one for a while, I think.

Gifford-Hirlinger Stateline Red. We tasted this one, then a 100% Merlot and a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a blend of the two and, believe me, the best. These two grapes bring out the best in each other like an old married couple or best friends. From their website:
The Wine

The Stateline Red is a simple blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is a very food-friendly, versatile wine with enough structure to pair with a steak, but also fruit forward enough to pair with seafood dishes!
Case Production:
* 418

Varietal Composition:
* 50% Merlot
* 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Barrel Aging:
* 17 Months

Oak Program:
* 100% Neutral Oak

And that's it! I am really excited to be tasting these lovely Washington wines.

Wine, Wine, Wine!

2010-04-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

I will add photos later but yesterday I attended the Passport to Woodinville wine tasting. It was amazing! I tasted wonderful wines. Among my favorites were Brian Carter Cellars (I joined their wine club!!), Efesté, Airfield Estates Winery (their unoaked Chardonnay was fabulous!), and Northwest Totem Cellars, one of my newest favorite wineries! They have a Late Harvest Viognier (YUM!) and a white wine blend called Salish that are good. Their reds were good as well!

I will review the wines as I drink them. I am super excited about my wine purchases yesterday.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

2010-03-27T00:30:00.001-07:00

(Sorry for the crappy quality...I took it with my phone and it's after midnight!)

Here are all of the names written on strips of paper, folded, and put in a bowl. (Don't worry - I wasn't cheating. I was recycling! The reverse side had my notes for a review of one of the wines.) Mr Mary Cooks drew the name and definitely did it blind as I made him do it after he had gone to bed and his glasses were off. Heh. Timing is everything! ;-)

Alena is my winner of the $50 Grocery Outlet gift card! Yay!!! Check out her fabuLESS life here. It's a great blog!

Congratulations!

And a special thank you to all who entered the drawing. It was really fun to do and my very first giveaway with special thanks from Grocery Outlet!

2005 Yering Station MVR

2010-03-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late on this entry as well. Came home from work and napped for a few hours. My immune system seems hellbent on catching a cold! Boo!

It's not going to stop me from posting about this fantastic wine, though!!

Front of the bottle:

Back of the bottle:

2005 Yering Station MVR!

To say that I was looking forward to this wine is a vast understatement. The second I put it in my cart at Grocery Outlet (a bargain at $5.99! Elsewhere it's $18.99) I knew I'd want to drink and drink and drink it. This wine is comprised of 54% Marsanne, 36% Viognier, and 10% Roussanne. There's a hint of pear on the nose. Drinking the wine, it's crisp and clean. This is definitely not a sweet white wine. While I was drinking the wine I kept imagining a backyard barbecue with chicken and pasta salads and sun. It's definitely a summer wine so if you have the chance to buy it during GO's wine sale from March 30th through April 3rd you should do it! Summer is not so far away.

But, back to the wine. I definitely get a lot of green apple with this wine. Mr Mary Cooks had only one glass (he's not a fan of whites) but I easily drank the rest of the bottle. I am an equal opportunity wine drinker. If you're only a marginal fan of white wines you may not like this. The Mr said it smelled like Play-Doh. While I could see how he could smell that I didn't think it was a bad thing.

By the way, we drank this with a whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker.

I was intending on blogging the recipe but, quite frankly, the chicken turned out dry (!!) and not all that great. I was disappointed but it reinforces my desire to have a programmable slow cooker vs. my old-school "off-low-high" model.

I have more wines to blog about even though the "official" period has ended. I have three bottles left and I'm intending on sharing them all with you!

2009 Buckley's Cove Merlot

2010-03-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

I'm getting this one in right under the wire. I had a crazy day at work and then right after some friends and I went to a book reading and signing by Christopher Moore. It was good fun but we were in line for about 2 hours. Totally worth it, though!

But, to the wine please! We drank a 2009 Buckley's Cove Merlot with polenta pasticciata (recipe coming tomorrow!). The wine costs $2.99 at Grocery Outlet compared to $12.99 elsewhere.

Front of the bottle:

Back of the bottle:

There are berries and cherries on the nose as well as a bit of a buttery caramel. For my money, it is far better than "2 Buck Chuck". It is mild, with very few tannins. It was better than I thought it'd be and fairly charactered for a three dollar wine. There are pepper notes at the end but no bitter lingering flavor. It would be good with a sharp cheese such as cheddar or parmesan. It's not very complex but, then, I didn't expect it to be. We did drink the whole bottle. Most of the time I drank it while sitting at the table surfing the internet on my laptop. It's perfect for sitting, lingering at the table with conversation.

I don't think I would actively seek this wine out but I wouldn't turn it away, either.

The back of the bottle is worth a read! It's very funny!

Here's a teaser of the polenta dish:

Quick Note

2010-03-24T18:30:00.001-07:00

Quick note about comments: I've been having problems with my email from Comcast so I have moved all of the notifications to a Gmail addresss (marycooksblog). I sincerely appreciate all of the comments from new readers! It's amazing and so flattering.

Thank you!

Dragon Xanadu Cabernet-Merlot and Bacon Wrapped Tenderloins

2010-03-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's bacon wrapped tenderloin time again. (We had six of them...) They were just as delicious the second day in a week.

Obligatory food photo:

Now, on to the wine! To go with this dinner we chose a 2005 Dragon Xanadu Cabernet-Merlot purchased from Grocery Outlet. It was $5.99 (elsewhere $8.99).

Front of the bottle:

Back of the bottle:

This is a wine that needs its breathing room. Once you let it open up it is very pleasant, almost jammy. We were getting a spicy finish. It tasted of allspice and nutmeg. The wine was also a little on the peppery side but definitely not overwhelming. The tannins were medium but not intimidating. It was so good with the steak. Mr Mary Cooks thinks it'd be good with duck or lamb. He said he'd prefer it to go with fatty food and definitely not with a lean meat. I think it'd be excellent with a creamy brie or some other soft, mild cheese. We would definitely feel confident serving this to guests or bringing it to a party.

We drank the whole bottle which, I have to tell you, seems to be the true test with our week of wine tasting!

I liked this wine. I am going to be keeping an eye out for other Xanadu wines from Down Under.

Win a $50 Grocery Outlet Gift Card!

2010-03-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Comment here on this post if you'd like to be entered to win a $50 Grocery Outlet gift card!

The contest will end at 8 pm Pacific time, Friday, March 26th. I will notify the winner by 10 pm Pacific that same night.

Here are the conditions:
1. If you win, you agree to post on your blog what you have purchased with the gift card at Grocery Outlet.

2. Once you post you agree to email me at marycooksblog @ gmail.com so I can notify Grocery Outlet.

And that's it! Easy peasy!

So please comment away!!

Two Wine Reviews and a Salmon Recipe

2010-03-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Grocery Outlet wines again tonight. In case you're wondering why I was given this opportunity and why GO is ramping up their wine presence online, it's because they're going to be having a fantastic sale March 30-April 3. 20% off all wines! This is a great event and there will be some terrific bargains to be had so do not miss it!

Tonight's first wine was a 2007 Sylvester Vineyards & Winery Rosé.

Front of the bottle:

Back of the bottle:

I bought this with the gift card given to me by GO for $3.99. Their sign said elsewhere it was $8.99.

When I opened this and poured it in my glass the first thing I smelled was vinegar. This did not bode well. It's dry and Mr Mary Cooks claimed it tasted like "Kool-Aid rainwater." (Hey, I couldn't make that up by myself!) There's an unpleasant aftertaste with a sourness that's almost lemony. The text on the back label matches the flavor and character of the wine: vague and nondescript. I would have felt obligated to finish the bottle but since I didn't pay for it, I didn't.

However, we did figure out a good use for it: it'd be a decent sangria wine. It also makes a good wine spritzer if you add lemon-lime soda. Just sayin'...

We drank it with salmon that was still great after being in the freezer for a year and a half. This is salmon that we caught ourselves in Ketchikan, Alaska. I was overjoyed that not only was it still good but it was delicious! Are you ready for the food interlude?

Ingredients:
4 4 oz. salmon fillets
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. finely minced onion
2 Tbsp. sesame oil

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Pour over the salmon fillets.

Let them marinade for 30 minutes.

Flip 'em over and let them go for another 30 minutes.

Put them in a pan and cook them in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then, broil them for about 5 minutes or so.

Ahhhh... I live a tough life, don't I?!

Okay, back to the wine. After the dismal performance of the rosé (and I truly was disappointed because I love a good rosé!) I decided to open a 2008 Le Baron Ranch Late Harvest Riesling.

Front of the bottle:

Back of the bottle:

What
A
Godsend!

Apple and apricot on the nose. It was only lightly syrupy but very, very sweet. It would make an excellent dessert wine. It was such a treat, literally candy for adults! There were pear and apricot notes with a peach aftertaste. It was almost effervescent on the tongue when it touched. It finished clean on the palate. I knew it might yield a nasty hangover in the morning (due to the sugar content) but I didn't care! The bottle was completely consumed, mostly by me. There was a bit of a starfruit note as it warmed. I loved, loved, loved this wine. If I could drink it every day I would do it.

It was $10.99 at Grocery Outlet, elsewhere $44.99. Honestly, for a Late Harvest that might be a wee bit inflated (I'd believe it more for an ice wine) but no matter. It was definitely worth the eleven bucks. I am going to head back to GO for more! You should, too, if you know what's good for you.

Grocery Outlet Wine!

2010-03-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I bought all 9 of these bottles from Grocery Outlet for $50? Okay...I fib just a little...I went over by $1. ;-)

Grocery Outlet gave me a $50 gift card with which to buy wine and review it here on my blog. Sweet! The first wine I am reviewing is a 2007 Renovales Malbec. I have been trying to research this on the internet but have come up with nothing. My Google-Fu is failing me! I bought this at Grocery Outlet for $4.99 and their price tag said to compare it to $9.99 in other stores.

Front of the bottle:

Back of the bottle:

I do know that Mendoza is a good place for Malbecs. I have a soft spot in my heart for Malbecs so that's why I decided to start with this one.

I poured it in my glass and let it breathe for a little bit. It looked beautiful and dark.

At first there was an oaky taste to it but that dissipated the more it breathed. Also at first there was a bit of a dull pomegranate taste to it and Mr Mary Cooks swears there was a ruby red grapefruit taste to it (I didn't get that at all). The tannins are very tame which makes this wine very approachable for someone who maybe has not had a lot of experience with red wines. This wine would be awesome with a creamy cheese like perhaps a chevre or even a stilton. I can imagine eating a salad comprised of arugula, rocket, pear, walnuts, and chevre while sipping on this wine.

Instead, we had bacon-wrapped filet mignon (which will make another appearance later this week) and twice-baked potatoes.

This was a Christmas present from family of Mr Mary Cooks so it made this meal very economical!

Anyway, back to the wine. It's much better when consumed with food. We drank the whole bottle so it definitely passed the test as it took very little effort to drink it all. It was mildly fruity and I bet it would age pretty well for another year.

The only negative thing I can say about this wine is that there was an odd sedimentation in the first pour which was strange because it had been sitting upright for two days prior to opening it.

I would definitely buy this wine again. It was delicious and for 5 bucks, an incredible deal!

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Stay tuned later this week for an announcement! Grocery Outlet has given me a $50 gift card to give away here on the blog! There are some stipulations (you have to have a blog and post what you bought with it) which I will list tomorrow. I'll start accepting entries to the giveaway on Wednesday and announce the winner on Friday evening. Hooray!!!

Wine + Grocery Outlet = LOVE

2010-03-17T13:39:00.001-07:00

(Note: these are not the wines I have purchased from Grocery Outlet...I still have to do my shopping!)

I am super excited to announce that I am going to be blogging my wine purchasing experiences with Grocery Outlet next week! During the remainder of this week I will be putting together a menu comprised mostly of the awesome bargains you can find at Grocery Outlet along with the fantastic wines they offer.

What?! You didn't know G.O. sold wine?! What?! You didn't know G.O. sold AWESOME wines?! Where have you BEEN???

Stay tuned. They have provided me with a gift card for me to purchase wines and another gift card to give away to my readers. I'll announce how to get in on the drawing for the gift card over the weekend when I announce my meal plan for next week along with wine accompaniment provided by Grocery Outlet.

This is going to be so great!

Greek Pasta Salad

2010-03-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Greek Pasta Salad

This is so easy to make it's ridiculous. It can also easily be made vegetarian.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. to 1 c. kalamata olives, halved
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
2-3 roasted red bell peppers, cut into strips
1 c. feta
1/2 red onion, cut into slices then quartered
2 chicken breasts, grilled then cut into 1" chunks
1 lb. rotelle pasta, cooked and rinsed with cold water
1/3 c. or so Greek salad dressing

First, I sliced half a red onion then quartered the slices so they became manageable pieces for eating.

Meanwhile, I grilled two chicken breasts that I had seasoned with Cavender's Greek Seasoning. (So delicious! Good on french fries!)

Quarter the artichoke hearts. I like to get these in cans without marinade. That way you control the flavor AND the fat content!

I get my roasted red peppers in a jar without any fat also. I sliced these into strips.

Cut the kalamata olives in half. Try not to eat too many as you're prepping this dish!

After the pasta has cooked, rinse it with cold water until it has totally cooled.

Admire the feta and the dressing since you don't have to do anything to prepare them...

Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, let it cool for about 15 minutes.

Cut into bite-sized chunks and add to your salad bowl.

Add the pasta, feta, and dressing. I "eyeballed" the dressing. In the end it was about 1/3 cup but you can use more or less, depending on your tastes. In our house we like a lightly dressed salad in general for just a hint of flavor. I don't like to overwhelm the flavors of the other ingredients.

Now it's done and time to serve! This pasta salad is excellent for a weeknight dinner and if you double it, I can definitely see it being very popular at a potluck. If you leave the chicken off it's vegetarian friendly (so I'll add the vegetarian tag anyway).

Everyone in the family loved this dish. The preschooler picked out the onions but liked everything else. Middle son and husband had three servings!!

Tuna and White Bean Salad

2010-02-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

To placate my masses I must re-emerge with a wonderful recipe, one so great that once you make it yourself you will moan with delight and forget all about my absence here from the blog. This, my friends, is just such a recipe.

I came across this recipe when some coworkers and I took an Italian cooking class. Really, it was more of a cooking demonstration and tasting since there were no hands-on opportunities. Regardless, I came away with one of the best recipes I've ever tried in my life. No, I am not exaggerating!

Tuna and White Bean Salad
2 cans Italian tuna, in olive oil
2 cans cannellini beans
1/2 red onion, sliced very thinly
Leaves from celery (the light green parts inside)
Juice of one lemon
6 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar

Ingredients photo:

(2 lemons pictured because I wasn't sure how much juice I'd get from one. Only use one, which should give you about 4-5 Tbsp. of juice.)

Close-up shot of the tuna. Find this tuna! Specialty markets may have it. I found mine at an import food shop here in Seattle. It's worth it...trust me on this. If you like, you can use regular tuna canned in oil or water but the flavor will be different and not as rich.

Take off all the stalks from the celery. You're after all of the light green leaves. You can use some of the darker green leaves but not too many! The green leaves have a wonderfully delicate flavor that adds so much to this salad.

Special Italian beans...yum! These tasted amazing. I got them from the import shop as well.

Slice the red onion verrrrrrrrry thinly. You can use a mandoline if you like but I just used a knife.

Mmmmm...tuna.

Mmmmm...tuna. ^_^

Put the lemon juice in a separate bowl.

Add the olive oil.

Now add the salt, pepper, and pinch of sugar.

Incorporate the dressing carefully. You don't want to break up the tuna too much.

Enjoy! Yes, I did eat this whole bowl. No, I don't feel guilty. It was amazing!

Obligatory cocktail shot: this time a dirty martini for Mr. Mary Cooks!

Wow!

2010-02-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

It has been a really long time since I updated. I have some photos of food that I am going to upload this weekend. The kids will be gone so I should have some quiet time to really work on the blog and get things updated. Maybe I'll launch a new look, too!

I just wanted to drop a note that I am still around. I've got some great posts to put up with regards to great products I've been able to try thanks to Foodbuzz!

Check back over the weekend!

Taquito Casserole

2009-10-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

My dad got this recipe from somewhere...perhaps the back of a box of taquitos. Anyway, it's a great recipe and lately I've made it a few times.

Ingredients:
1 box of unthawed taquitos (you need about 30)
28 oz can refried beans
20 oz can enchilada sauce
4 oz can chopped olives
4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cups of shredded cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

First, chop the green onions. Use the white and green parts. I love this photo. I love green onions! Hey, win-win!

Put the refried beans, green onions, olives, and green chiles into a microwave-safe bowl. Stir everything up so it's all happy together. Microwave for about 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, spray a 9x13 casserole pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay down some taquitos.

Drizzle about half of the enchilada sauce over the taquitos.

Put half of the refried bean mixture over the taquitos.

Spread half of the cheese over the refried beans.

Repeat layers! Cover with foil and cook for about 50-60 minutes, or until hot. Cover with remaining cheese and put back into the oven until the cheese is melted.

This is pure comfort food. It's like enchiladas without all that pesky rolling! Add salsa, sour cream, and guacamole for a religious experience.

Taquito casserole is so great. Aside from the cooking, it really doesn't take much active time at all. You can use the taquitos that are corn or flour tortillas. I like both.

And now my stomach is grumbling. Maybe there are some leftovers still left in the refrigerator...

Let's Kick It Up a Notch!

2009-08-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

Foodbuzz sent me a terrific package filled with goodies from Emeril's product line.

The package contained chicken broth, Emeril's Essence, Emeril's Chicken Rub, and a horseradish mustard. I immediately got inspiration from the mustard.

Kicked Up Honey Mustard Shrimp

Ingredients:
Shrimp (I think this is the 3 pound bag from Costco)
4 Tbsp. Honey
4 Tbsp. Mustard
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

The star of this dish is Emeril's Kicked Up Horseradish Mustard!

Add the ingredients into a bowl. Here's a photo of the mustard outside of the bottle. It looks (and tastes!) amazingly great!

Whisk the ingredients together until they are all incorporated.

Put the shrimp and marinade into a zip top bag and let marinate for about 30 minutes. You can marinate it longer if you'd like.

Put the shrimp on skewers to prep for the BBQ.

BBQ the shrimp until they are pink and cooked throughout. This doesn't take very long, maybe 4-5 minutes.

Serve the shrimp. These did not last long at all. Everyone at our party adored them!

Since I received this package I have been using Emeril's Essence for a lot of things, most notably steak and (separately) scrambled eggs. It's delicious! I definitely recommend his products. I hadn't ever bought them before but you can bet that now they're in rotation in my kitchen.

Great Blog

2009-08-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to recommend a great blog Joel F. Brown. I came across this guy on LiveJournal through his posts in the Food Porn community. His writing is pretty good, in a stream of consciousness way. It makes me think Jack Kerouac went to Paris to learn how to cook French cuisine. It's not for the weak of stomach or heart, though. And it's not for those who are offended by expletives since he uses those liberally.

Anyway, check it out!

Indian Food Night

2009-07-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a great dinner with friends. A lot of this food I picked up from the market but I made some toor daal from a recipe I got from a friend. But first...the market food!

Samosas from the salad bar area of Central Market. These were delicious!

Naan from Trader Joe's.

Daal palak, also from Central Market. It was so good and a bit spicy.

And here's the daal I made! It was a hit! It was also health, as the only oil I used was less than a tablespoon. Here is the recipe, as written by my friend Payal:

Need:
Toor Dal (found at Indian grocery stores)
2 1/2 tsp Paprika
3 tsp Cumin-coriander powder
3/4 tsp turmeric
Juice of one lemon (can substitute with lemon juice from store)
7 tsp sugar
green chilli (optional)
a small piece ginger (optional)
salt (according to taste)

Also need separately:
3 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds

Soak the lentils (toor dal) over night if possible or at least 4 hours. Then boil it until its completely soft or put it into a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Then add some water and whip it until its blended. Now put the pan on a stove and put the whipped dal in there. Add all the spices up to salt. Once the dal is boiling, in a second small pan, heat up oil. Add black mustard seeds and heat until they sizzle. Add fenugreek seeds and heat some more. Add the mixture to the dal. Stir it up and add more water if needed. Let it boil for 30 minutes or until it reaches a desired consistency. Eat with rice.

I used equal amounts of coriander and cumin. I also could not find black mustard seeds so I used brown. Speaking of spices, a good tip is that if you happen to have a store near you that sells them in bulk it's much cheaper to get them from that section. This is especially true if it's a spice for a recipe that you do not use very often.

Oh, a couple of other amendments I made: I did not use the chili and for the garlic, I had some from a jar (oh, the humanity!) and I put in about a teaspoon. I'm not sure if the consistency I made was correct but it was so delicious. The consistency was a bit like mashed potatoes but it went very well with the rice (brown basmati) and the naan.

I loved making food with friends! It was fantastic.

Wine Review

2009-07-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Back in late April, some friends and I went to Yakima for their annual Spring Barrel Opening. One of the wineries we visited was Plaza Socievole Winery. I fell in love with their white wines, which is interesting because I usually don't like white wine all that much. I tasted, then bought, a bottle of their 2007 Harmony.

From their website:
This beautiful blend of 75% Viognier and 25% Roussanne. This wine showcases the magnificent terroir of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Fresh aromas of peaches and pineapple intermingle flawlessly with the French oak. The subtle oak accents give this wine a fun yet sophisticated complex mouth feel. "A touch of class in a glass".

I adore both Viognier and Roussanne so putting two together is amazingly delicious. It's complex and smooth. It's a delightful summer drinking wine. This winery definitely deserves a look from everyone. I also bought some Riesling of theirs that I'll have to review soon.

Anyway, I'm not a sophisticated wine reviewer but I know what I like. This white is not too dry for me to want a glass of water afterward nor is it sweet. I wouldn't even label it "semi-dry". I would just say it's good drinkin'. It's crisp and accessible.

Sausage Stroganoff

2009-06-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

If you've read my blog for any length of time you must know by now that in our house, sausage is king. We love sausage in pretty much any shape or form. So, when I decided to do a stroganoff today for dinner it shouldn't surprise you all that much that it was sausage that I reached for, instead of lean ground beef or ground turkey. I don't have step-by-step photos, alas, because I was preoccupied with taking photos of my preschooler parading around in my high heels (yes! really!), but I do have an end result photo. This dish isn't all that healthy but it is comfort food at its finest. And after a rough couple of weeks (I've just been really swamped both at home and work), I needed some major comfort food.

Sausage Stroganoff
16 oz. egg noodles, cooked per package instructions
1 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
3/4 cup diced onion
2 4 oz. cans mushrooms, drained
1 cup light sour cream
Splash of wine (I used Riesling)

Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Add the onions and sausages. Break up the sausages into chunks. Cook the onions and sausages until the meat is cooked thoroughly. Add the mushrooms and sour cream. Stir. Add the egg noodles to the pan, followed by a splash of white wine, if necessary. I added this because the noodles were a bit on the dry side. You can sprinkle with parsley, if you like. This would actually make it taste pretty good, I think!

Et voila!

It tasted really good. My middle child had three - count em, THREE! - servings. He loved it. As I said, sausage is well loved in my house.

Homemade BBQ Brisket

2009-05-31T18:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the length of time in between updates. I've been really busy with work and I had an out-of-town (indeed, out-of-country!) visitor for a few days. I'm definitely not complaining about the visitor; I'm just explaining my absence! Well, part of my absence. I can't blame it all on her. ;)

Anyway, yesterday I was at the grocery store surfing for meat as I am wont to do. A nearly 6 pound brisket caught my eye. I thought, "I wonder how dad's rib recipe would be on brisket?" The answer? Fabulous!

You can look at the link above if you want step-by-step on how to make the spice rub and the sauce. I didn't take photos of that.

I really feel like I got a good deal on this meat. Around $10 for almost 6 pounds of brisket? Yay!

There was a lot of fat to trim off this baby. I left some on for flavor but I did trim quite a bit off.

I adore my Canon... Here is the spice rub!

Sprinkle it on the brisket.

Rub it on both sides and all around that bad boy.

Put a rack on a cookie sheet. Then, put the brisket on the rack. You will have already preheated your oven to 250-degrees. Cover the pan and meat with foil and seal tightly. Cook in the oven for 4 hours. No peeking!

About two hours in, start making the sauce. Again, for instructions, see the link for my dad's rib recipe. The only difference is that I sautéed the onions until they were mostly soft and let the sauce simmer for an hour and a half or so. It thickened nicely!

After 4 hours, pull the brisket out of the oven.

You can either broil it or you can grill it. I chose to fire up the grill for the summer season in order to cook this brisket.

We flipped it about 4 times (so, the sauce was cooked on indirect heat a total of two times per side).

Spread that saucy goodness all over that meat!

Carefully remove it to a plate or cutting board to rest for a few minutes.

Doesn't it look glorious?!

Thinly slice it. If you have leftover sauce, you can pour it on.

We served it with caesar salad, potato salad, and King's Hawaiian rolls. It was the best dinner we've had in a long time. Delicious!

This was well worth the 5+ hours of cooking time. Granted, most of that time is inactive time but you still have to be around the house. The meat was moist and falling apart. The sauce is slightly spicy but sooooooo good!

Wine of the Week: Rowland Cellars 1999 Syrah

2009-05-03T19:46:00.001-07:00

I have three places where I store wine. The first is a wine cooler (refrigerator) in the kitchen. In it is where I store the wines that I most care about. The second place is in a real refrigerator in our shop. This is where I store the white wines that need to be refrigerated prior to drinking. Finally, I also store wines in our walk-in closet. It is very cool in this closet and although its temperature does vary it is probably the most consistent place temperature-wise in the whole house. I have stored some wines in our walk-in closet for a couple of years. Sometimes it is with trepidation that I open a bottle that has been stored in the closet for some time. I just never know if I am going to get a quality wine from there.

Tonight we decided that opening (at least) a bottle per week would be a prudent idea. I already had a lot of wine to begin with so my adventure with the girls last week only added to the predicament of too much wine, if there is such a thing! It is going to be a fun endeavor, to be sure. In that spirit we opened a Rowland Cellars 1999 Red Triangle Syrah.

1999 was a pretty good year for Syrahs so I was a bit excited for this bottle. We opened it, poured it in the glasses, and opted to let it breathe for a bit. At first on the nose Mr. Mary Cooks got blueberry while I got cherry. Mr. Mary Cooks doesn't think that it comes out of the bottle very well but once it has breathed for some time (about an hour) it is very nice. When I had my first glass it seemed really smooth and mellow. After it breathed for an hour it was more of a characteristic Syrah with a good amount of tannins and flavor. This one definitely has the taste of oak but it is not obnoxious (not that I think oak is obnoxious).

The price point on this bottle seems to be about $26. I am positive that I did not pay that much for this bottle but I may have paid $14-20 for it. I am fairly sure I got it in a close-out cart from the awesome store, Central Market. I wish I had bought two bottles instead of one but it's always a crap shoot, it seems, in these situations.

Anyway, this is delightful and I adore it.

I know I should be more technical with my tasting notes and I will learn, in time, the right "buzzwords" to say but for now I will stick to "yes, I liked it" or "no, this is crap". Ha!

Mother's Cookies Circus Animals Review

2009-05-03T11:38:00.001-07:00

One of the benefits of being a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher is that you occasionally get to try new foods.

A few months ago, Mother's Cookies folded and their beloved cookies gradually started disappearing from store shelves. One of these casualties happened to be the Circus Animal cookies. I have loved these cookies since I was a child so I was a bit disheartened to hear this news. Soon, however, we heard that Kellogg's had purchased the recipes and rights to these Circus Animal cookies (I am unclear about other types of Mother's Cookies recipes). Foodbuzz sent an email out to their Featured Publishers to see who would want to sample the cookies. I, of course, jumped at the chance!

On Friday, I received a package:

There was a note of explanation and promotion from Foodbuzz:

The first thing I noticed was the packaging. It was more foil-based than plastic-based. It was flimsier than Mother's Cookies packaging. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it's just an observation.

At first glance, the cookies did look similar to how they have always looked.

Ah ha! But I had an ace up my sleeve... I had a package of the Halloween Mother's Cookies Circus Animal cookies in my pantry! True, the "best by" date was sometime in March but, hey, they were unopened so I figured they'd be a good comparison. I wasn't saving them specifically for this moment; they just happened to not get consumed yet.

Let's compare ingredients and nutrition information, shall we?

First, the original ingredients:

Now, for the new ingredients (Kellogg's forgot the eggs!):

Minor differences, to be sure. The same goes for nutrition information. First, the original:

Now, the new nutrition information:

I believe this next photo sums it up. The new cookie is on the left and the original is on the right.

Reactions from the family.

First, Mr. Mary Cooks:
The frosting seemed thicker on the new cookies but the cookie seemed thinner and harder/crunchier. Not good. The frosting on the new cookie seemed more artificial, if that's possible. I've never been a really big fan of Circus Animals but it took the new cookies to make me realize the old ones were animal crackers with frosting. The new ones are like the plastic sushi you see on display; it looks delicious but you really wouldn't want to eat it.

Now, the middle child (boy, age 9):
The new are worse. The old are better. The old are the best ones because they have just the right amount of sprinkles and cracker and frosting on them.

The teenager (boy, age 18):
I like the old ones. I like how they're thicker, they're not as crumbly. The new ones seem kind of crumbly. I like the flavor of the old ones. It tastes like they changed something.

The preschooler (girl, age 3):
Mary Cooks: Did you like the old cookies or the new cookies?
Girl: Blank stare.
Mary Cooks: Did you like the orange cookies or the pink cookies?
Girl: The pink ones?
Mary Cooks: Why?
Girl: Because they're pink. I love pink!

Mary Cooks:
The new version does indeed seem more artificially flavored. There's a weird aftertaste and coating that happened to the roof of my mouth after eating the new version. They also seem to taste sweeter than the old version. Definitely overly sweet. Ugh.

Verdict? I think I'll pretend they are no longer, sadly. Sorry, Kellogg's. I'll still buy your products but I won't be buying Circus Animals any longer.

Eggy in a Basket

2009-05-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

This past week I scored a tremendous deal at the grocery store on bacon and sausages. The bacon alone was a steal; $1.99 for 2 pounds! The sausage was also $1.99 but it was for 8 sausage patties. Still, a good deal. So, I decided to make breakfast for dinner. Not wanting to cook ordinary eggs, I decided to try something new. I had seen Eggy in a Basket before (most notably on the movie V for Vendetta) but have never made it. It's really, really simple. I toasted the bread first then had the middle child use a glass to cut holes in the middle of the toast. After cooking the bacon and sausages I drained off the grease in the pan. I did add a little grease back so the eggs wouldn't stick; I used about a tablespoon for each batch. I then laid the toast in the pan and cracked two eggs into the center of the hole. With the heat on medium, I covered the pan and left them alone until I checked on them about 3 minutes later. They turned out wonderfully and everyone liked this dish!

Here's a close-up:

And here is the whole dish. Yes, that is martini fixings behind the plate. Mr. Mary Cooks had a rough day at work so I made him a dirty martini to go along with his dinner.

Wine Weekend with the Girls

2009-04-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend a few friends and I traveled to the Yakima Valley in Washington state for the Spring Barrel Opening event. It was loads of fun. I came home with 9 bottles of white wine and 9 bottles of red wine for me (totally unintentional to have it so even) and 3 bottles of dessert wines for my parents. This has left me with the pleasant situation of having entirely too much wine in my house! I think I need to start drinking it and stop hoarding it. Perhaps I can open one bottle per Saturday and review it here on the blog. That's a great idea!

This is at Kiona, our first stop on Saturday morning.

This is at Hightower. They used to have a lovely Golden Retriever named Murray but he died over a year ago. Now they have another Golden named Riley.

Now, Terra Blanca, which is usually my favorite. This year, however, I was not quite as impressed with their wines. Still, it's beautiful. This is also where we ate lunch (we made all the food ourselves - well, not me but my friends did). One of my friends made a lovely white bean and tuna salad. Another friend made roasted asparagus that we had with canteloupe, bocconcini, and prosciutto. It was all delicious!

Our awesome food!

This is the barn outside our hotel.

The sunset Saturday night:

This is one of the wineries we visited on Sunday. It's called Bonair and is beautiful!

Finally, this is at a winery called Silver Lake. We went here Sunday as well. It was delicious!

Here are the wines I bought:

Stay tuned for weekly wine reviews!

Also, I want to make the white bean salad sometime very soon and I'll post the recipe when I do.

Buitoni Pasta - Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

2009-04-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Being a Foodbuzz featured publisher has its perks. One of those perks is occasionally they send out a product to try and review. This past Friday I came home to a huge box. I opened it and was so pleased to find a lovely note from Foodbuzz along with a package of pasta!

Not just any pasta, but Wild Mushroom Agnolotti by Buitoni.

For the next 36 hours I thought and thought about what kinds of sauces would go well with this agnolotti. I contemplated alfredo sauce and while that would be good, it would overpower the mushroom. I felt the same way about a marinara sauce. In the end, I developed a flavorful sauce with chicken broth as its base. (Vegetarians: you could easily substitute vegetable broth and make this a vegetarian meal.)

Here is my recipe:

Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Asparagus, Spinach, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 9 oz. package Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti
1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
4 oz. spinach leaves, washed
7 to 8 sun-dried tomatoes (dried, not packed in oil*), sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. grated Romano cheese
3 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted

*I found sun-dried tomatoes at Trader Joe's that were not packed in oil. They were just dry, in a bag. There are some similar tomatoes here but I've never purchased from this vendor and can therefore not verify how good they are.

Instructions:
1. Prepare the pasta per the package instructions.
2. Heat olive oil in a wide, deep pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add garlic, thyme, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir for about 30 seconds.
4. Add spinach and stir until the leaves have completely wilted.
5. Add the chicken broth and white wine. Bring to a simmer.
6. Add the sun-dried tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Add the asparagus and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until asparagus is mostly tender and bright green.
8. Gently add the agnolotti and stir - gently - to coat with sauce.
9. Put the butter in the pan and stir gently until it is melted.
10. Remove pan from heat, stir in the grated Romano and pine nuts gently.
11. Serve and enjoy!

First, the pine nuts were toasted.

The garlic was first up in the pan. This starts the magic.

Next, the herbs were added.

After about 30 seconds, the spinach went into the pan.

It wilted so nicely, don't you agree?

Next up is the chicken broth and white wine. I just used a white wine blend from Metropolitan Market.

After the liquid came to a simmer I added the sundried tomatoes. I wanted to add them now as opposed to reconstituting them in separate boiling water because I wanted to retain all that lovely tomato flavor and color. These look a little dark because they are sulphur-free. I got them from Trader Joe's.

After about 5 minutes I added the cut up asparagus.

4-5 minutes later I added the agnolotti into the sauce mixture.

Butter, of course, is a wonderful finish to any sauce!

Stir gently... Do not break up those beautiful agnolotti!

Remove the pan from heat and add the grated Romano.

Finally, add the toasted pine nuts. Remember to stir gently!

The finished dish is a sight to behold.

This was delicious!

I have, in the past, picked up some refrigerated ravioli and sauce as a quick meal for the family. Honestly, it is a decent meal but not exactly awe-inspiring, know what I mean? This agnolotti, though, was different. This was special. Gourmet! The flavor was out of this world amazing. It tasted like we had made them at home. The sauce balanced the agnolotti perfectly. This is exactly what they were asking for.

Do you want to know the best thing about this Buitoni pasta? It inspired me to think of other ways to cook it. I wonder how this would taste with beef broth and red wine instead of chicken broth and white wine. Ooooh! And I'd bet it would be lovely with duck broth and fennel!

We will definitely be purchasing this agnolotti as it has totally won us over. And special thanks to Foodbuzz for introducing this wonderful pasta to our kitchen!

Turkey Kielbasa Stir Fry

2009-04-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

I made au gratin potatoes with kielbasa and edamame for the kids and Mr. Mary Cooks. Knowing that it isn't very healthy and I am trying to shed some pounds, I decided to make a special dinner for myself.

Ingredients:

One package of stir fry veggies (no sauce, rice, or noodles - veggies only)
2 ounces turkey kielbasa
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Spray your pan with nonstick cooking spray and put the sesame oil in.

When the pan is hot, add the kielbasa.

After the kielbasa has browned a little, add the frozen vegetables.

Also, add the soy sauce.

Sauté until the vegetables are hot. Serve immediately.

You know, I am all about volume for low calories. This fit the bill! It was delicious and easy. You can vary it, if you'd like. I think some crushed red pepper flakes might be good, along with some garlic and/or ginger.

Made as above, this was about 240 calories for the entire thing.

Easter Dinner

2009-04-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a lovely dinner. My parents brought the ham and the fruit salad. I made a potato side dish and the vegetables.

The spread:

Honeybaked Ham:

I roasted asparagus (and green beans) with about a tablespoon of olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and about a tablespoon of salt. (Gently mix all of the ingredients together, put on a cookie sheet, and bake in a 425-degree oven for about 15 minutes.)

We tried white asparagus for the first time. Honestly, the white is lovely and nice to look at but I liked the flavor of the green asparagus better.

Now, for the potato side dish.

Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
Kosher salt

Using a mandoline, cut the potatoes into thin slices. (We cut them into 1 mm slices.) Put olive oil in an 8-inch nonstick pan that can also go in the oven.

Lay the first layer of potatoes down in a circle in the pan. This will be the top of the dish at the end so you'll want to make it look pretty.

Brush each layer of potatoes with olive oil.

As you lay down the potatoes, press the layer down. Every other layer, sprinkle with kosher salt and grated Romano cheese.

Keep layering until you reach the top of the pan.

Put the pan over medium-high heat until the olive oil sizzles and the bottom is browned.

Once the oil is sizzling, put the pan into an oven that was preheated to 425 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes.

Before flipping, be sure to drain off any extra oil! You don't want to burn yourself.

You may have to loosen the potatoes with a heat resistant spatula prior to the flipping.

Flip it onto a lid.

Gently put it back into the pan.

Put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.

Take it out, let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then cut into wedges and serve.

The true test for this dish? Everyone wanted more! Next time we will definitely have to make it in a bigger pan. It was the perfect accompaniment to ham and looked very elegant.

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Spicy Beans with Turkey Sausage

2009-04-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Spicy Beans with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients

1 lb. smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 oz.) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth (enough to fill pot at least halfway)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin

You can also make this on the stove top. Sauté the onions and green peppers in a stock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray until soft prior to adding the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Info
Calories:376.4
Fat: 7.4g
Carbohydrates: 52.9g
Protein: 24.4g

You can also put all of the ingredients in a slow cooker, turn on to low, and cook for 5-6 hours.

--------

This was delicious and filling! I loved that it was full of fiber and protein. I used a salsa that was a little too hot for the kids; next time I will be sure to use a milder salsa so that the preschooler will eat it.

I'm All a-Twitter!

2009-04-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Follow me on Twitter!

I am going to try to remember to update Twitter whenever I post something new and I'm also going to be resurrecting some of my favorite dishes from years past.

Also, in other housekeeping news, I am going to diligently work on tagging my old posts (that I made prior to the tag feature) so people can find good recipes quickly.

To keep this legit, have a luscious food photo!

BACON!!!

"See" you this weekend...

xx

Krabby Patty Birthday Cake

2009-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Before our son's 18th birthday celebration we asked him what kind of cake he wanted. His choice was a Krabby Patty cake (from SpongeBob Squarepants). Before I get into the process, I decided to "interview" Mr. Mary Cooks as he did all the hard work on this cake. Remember, he also created the awesome SpongeBob cake for our daughter's 3rd birthday.

So, Mr. Mary Cooks, what was the most difficult part of making the Krabby Patty cake?

Deciding to get up before 1 pm to decorate it. NO! I'm kidding! The most difficult part was deciding if the top of the bun was going to be frosted or covered with fondant. In hindsight, frosting was a better choice. Do you know how hard it is to make food coloring tan? If I had to do it again I'd still have a hard time deciding between fondant or frosting for the top but I'd probably try to use warm frosting to slip a smooth coating onto it.

What part was the most fun?

Seeing all the little details come together. Even though you couldn't see the ketchup and mustard, it looked like ketchup and mustard. Maybe I should do a dozen sliders with cupcakes!

That sounds very ambitious.

What was your favorite part of the whole experience?

When the teenager couldn't tell me how many bites it would take (to eat the hamburger).

Tell me about the fondant. The creation process, the ease of use, and the taste.

Well, on the first day, well, it wasn't real fondant. It was a substitute marshmallow fondant made principally of marshmallows and sugar. A lot of marshmallows and sugar. And, as you'd expect, inside the cake it tasted like marshmallows and sugar so it was actually an item you could eat. Creation process...um...worst than breading chicken with both hands. Sticky, sticky, sticky! When it got warm it got stickier. When it got cold it got harder to knead together. There wasn't really a happy medium. But the gel food color did mix quickly as long as you knew what color you were going to use.

Let's talk about the plastic wrap during the rolling of the fondant.

Well, the fondant really liked to stick to it, especially when I applied the rolling pin. Next time I'd like to spritz it with some vegetable oil. I think that would also make the "lettuce" look more shiny.

What would you do differently?

On the subject of shiny, spraying the brownie patty down with some thinned corn syrup would make it look oily, like a greasy burger. You'd only have to do the edge.

A side of fries would have been nice but time dictated otherwise.

There are more condiments that could be done such as onions, pickles, and bacon. Bacon could be fun, especially for other projects. But that means I'd really want to learn how to make cane glass. I think that's a start towards figuring out realistic bacon.

Would you make this cake again?

I don't know if I'd make THIS one again; but a dozen sliders might be interesting. I think it'd be funny. Little cupcake krabby patties! Doesn't seem to be as much fun to make the same thing again.

Finally, what cake are you looking forward to making next?

I'm still thinking about what cakes I'd like to do. But next is really dictated by whose birthday is coming up. I'd like to do a Gir cake with a cupcake inside his head. Then we could quote some lines from the show explaining why Gir has a cupcake inside his head.

Well, that's it. Thank you very much! On with the photos and descriptions!

Ingredients:
One box yellow cake mix
One box brownie mix (follow directions for cake-like brownies)
Two tubs Betty Crocker vanilla frosting
16 oz. mini marshmallows
2 pounds powdered sugar
water
gel colors

We used the recipe found at What's Cooking America by Peggy Weaver. Mr. Mary Cooks and the middle child made this the night before.

The morning of the cake assembly, I baked the cakes and the brownies. For the cakes, I poured a little more into one round cake pan than the other so the top bun would be thicker.

The tomatoes were formed with small balls of fondant. They were colored red, pressed, and flattened with a rolling pin.

Finally, edges were made to make them look a little more like tomatoes.

Cheese is up next. Some drops of food coloring were put on the fondant.

The coloring was kneaded into the fondant. He also used a tiny bit of red to make the cheese look orange.

The yellow portion of the fondant was rolled out and cut into squares using a pizza cutter. There was enough to make two slices of cheese.

Peeling up the excess revealed the square shape.

The lettuce was made by coloring the fondant green, rolling it out, then using crumpled newspaper on both top and bottom to give it some texture. I thought this was a genius move!

Now comes the assembly. The bottom layer was trimmed so it would be flat.

White frosting for the mayonnaise was applied to the top of the cake.

The brownie layer was trimmed and placed on top of the mayo.

Some frosting was tinted red and drizzled onto the brownie for ketchup.

Next, frosting was made yellow and drizzled on for mustard.

See? Doesn't it look like a burger?

The time for the toppings has come! First, lettuce. We all need a little more green in our lives, right?

Next, cheese. I LOVE how this totally looks like American cheese slices.

Finally, tomatoes. These look delicious.

Every burger should have extra mayo! I mean, if you're going to eat it, eat it the right way!

The top was placed on. Not perfectly...it wouldn't be good for it to look perfect.

The tan frosting was put all over the top bun.

We used almond slices for sesame seeds.

Before I show the complete Krabby Patty cake, indulge me in some detail photos.

Et voila! The finished cake!

Happy birthday!!

White Chili

2009-03-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

I think I have perfected my white chili recipe. You can use cooked turkey or chicken in this recipe. I opted for turkey as I made one yesterday and we had leftover meat. The taste is so delicious and, apparently, gravity really likes this as well as the floor claimed two bowls and the counter tried to get its share as well! Oops! At least it makes a fair amount so it still fed the family.

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 15.5 ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles, undrained
1 14.5 ounce can fat-free chicken broth
3/4 can of water
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded lowfat Monterey Jack cheese

In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the onions and the garlic.

Stir the onions and garlic frequently, until softened. This will take about 5 minutes. Next, add the can of green chiles.

Stir in the spices.

Stir the mixture until everything is coated and softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the chopped turkey (or chicken).

Next, add the chicken broth.

Bring the tomatoes to the party!

To extend the recipe a bit I add about 3/4 of a can of water.

Add the rinsed and drained beans.

Finally, add the mashed beans.

Stir everything together and bring to a boil.

Let the chili simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After the time is up, add 4 ounces of reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese. Add it a few handfuls at a time, stirring while you add it so it doesn't clump all together.

Serve. You can garnish with sour cream and green onions like I did here. You can also put crumbled chips, cilantro, more Jack cheese, jalapeños, or, well, just about anything you'd like on top of this chili.

This was so delicious and easy, especially for a weeknight meal. The kids all loved it, even the preschooler!

An American-Irish Dinner for a German-Scottish Family

2009-03-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

This morning, as we were driving in to work, Mr. Mary Cooks expressed a desire to have corned beef and cabbage tonight for dinner. I hadn't really been planning on it (didn't think I was in the mood) but since he wanted it I stopped at the store on the way home for supplies.

In my family, we always boil the corned beef and put the vegetables in the pot as well. Despite sounding a little dull and overdone, I actually like it. It's comforting to me to prepare this dish the same way my mother does.

Ingredients:
Corned beef (flat cut)
Potatoes (I used red this year - just use as many as you think will get eaten)
Carrots (I used baby carrots, and ditto the potato quantity)
Cabbage, quartered (or you can cut it into eighths)

Fill a big stock pot up about halfway with cold water. Place the corned beef in the pot.

Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour.

Now it's time to add the vegetables. First, I put the potatoes in. Be careful not to splash yourself with the hot liquid!

Now, add the carrots.

Finally, lay the cabbage on top. You'll want to submerge it more than I did here.

After about 35 more minutes, the vegetables and everything should be done. Remove the corned beef and slice (diagonally for a good presentation).

And here you have the perfect American St. Patrick's Day meal!

I think this dish is so easy and anyone can make it. If you have corned beef leftover (this never happens in my house) you can use it the next day to make Reuben sandwiches. Yum!

Hi There!

2009-03-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm still alive and kickin'! I've been extremely busy at work and traveling (to Alaska!) so I took a brief hiatus.

I will add a post tonight or tomorrow about my Osso Buco disaster and redemption. I also have an Asian beef recipe to post as well!

So, please stay tuned... and thank you for bearing with me!

Chicken and Red Quinoa Stew

2009-02-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

A couple of friends and I went to a discount natural food store recently. While there, I spotted some red quinoa. Quinoa is very good for you because it is a source of complete protein and has a balanced set of essential amino acids (according to the Wikipedia link).

I searched the internet for recipes because I wanted to do something different from the Quinoa and Black Beans recipe I normally make. I found a recipe for Crockpot Chicken and Red Quinoa at The Nourishing Gourmet. However, I did not want to cook this in the crockpot. So, I used their recipe and adapted it for the stove top.

Ingredients:

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
6 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, minced
3 chicken breasts or thighs
2 Tablespoons butter

Take a second to admire the depth and beauty of this wholesome grain. It really is quite lovely!

Open the bottle of wine. I chose Willow Crest's Viognier for this. If you're anything like me you will also pour yourself a glass while you start cooking.

You will want to rinse the quinoa a few times. I did it probably four times. Doing this eliminates the bitterness that the grain can have.

Put a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the butter and wait for it to melt.

Once the butter is melted and hot, add the onions.

Next, add the carrots.

Finally, add the celery.

Stir everything together so the vegetables are coated with butter.

Keep stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.

Now it's time to add the chicken. I used about 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. I cut the meat into about 1/2-inch pieces.

Add the quinoa to the pot.

Add the water and the wine (I measured them together in the same measuring cup).

Next, add the stock. If yours is frozen like mine, just put it in frozen. It'll melt and be just fine. Trust me!

The original recipe called for two teaspoons of thyme but I thought that might be a bit too much on the herbal side. I used one teaspoon.

And I used one teaspoon of sea salt as well.

Stir all together. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium low. I let this simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the quinoa was tender.

Serve immediately.

I cannot express how delicious this was! A few household members had second helpings. Even the preschooler ate hers until it was gone. Also, it was very good the next day as lunch.

This recipe is definitely going into the regular rotation.

Spanish Rice with Soy Chorizo

2009-02-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

A few months ago there was a clearance on chorizo at the grocery store. Despite my best intentions, I took a peek at the ingredients. Ever since then I have wanted to try the soy version. I often like the soy versions of meats. Yves Ground Round is a good thing in my house for lasagna, spaghetti, etc. I like making Taco Soup with soy "hamburger" instead of the real thing. It was with that spirit, then, that I picked up the soy chorizo from Trader Joe's the other night. Instead of just making eggs I wanted to make something a bit more substantial. Launching off the spanish rice I made a while back, I decided to make that and add the chorizo for more of a main dish feel.

Spanish Rice with Soy Chorizo

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 14 1/2-oz. can whole tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. saffron
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. thyme
16 oz. soy chorizo, casings removed and crumbled

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until onion is transparent.

Add the rice; stir so it is coated with oil. Add the broth and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the tomato juice, the cut up tomatoes, the saffron, paprika, thyme, chorizo and stir. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes longer.

Ingredients:

The stars of this meal are saffron (try Trader Joe's for affordable saffron) and a smoky Spanish paprika. My friend gave me this tin *cough*a few years ago*cough* and it is wonderfully smoky and still full of flavor.

Dice up the celery.

Dice up the onion.

Heat up the olive oil. It's a little more than 1 tablespoon but that's all right...

Once the oil is nice and hot, add the celery and onion to the pan.

After the onion is transparent and the vegetables are soft, it's time to add the rice. Stir the rice around so it's all coated with oil. I kept it in the pan for a couple of minutes prior to adding the broth.

Now add the broth. This was actually homemade turkey broth because I didn't have vegetable broth on hand but I didn't worry since no actual vegetarians were fed during this meal. If you have actual vegetarians you definitely want to be sure to use vegetable broth.

Drop the bay leaf in, cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 35 minutes. You don't need to disturb it; just let the rice cook.

When it's getting close to the 35 minute mark, get your spices together. Pour some saffron in your hand and admire it for a little bit.

Take the casings off the soy chorizo. This is very important!!

After the rice has been cooking for 35 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients. First, the spices go in.

Next, drain the tomato liquid into the pan.

After that has been drained take kitchen shears or a knife and cut up the tomatoes.

Add the chorizo and stir. Cover it and let it cook for about 15 minutes more, or until the rice is tender.

Serve with sour cream (it is a little on the spicy side!).

This was delicious! Everyone except the preschooler and me had seconds. I was surprised my middle child loved it but he did! Mr. Mary Cooks, for his second helping, put the rice mixture into a tortilla and said he liked it that way.

I'm happy this was a hit and I'll definitely make this again. I think the Spanish rice was great, too, and a good keeper for a rice dish from scratch vs. out of a box. Sure, it takes a little more time but it is so worth it because you know what your family is getting.

Ramen Soup

2009-01-29T20:31:00.001-08:00

I wanted ramen tonight but knew I would also have to cook the kids and husband dinner. I decided to make soup (usually I drain the water) because we needed to use up extra vegetables in the refrigerator. I did go to the store for tofu.

My ingredients:
Ramen
Medium/soft tofu
Green onions
Red bell pepper
Frozen corn
Frozen green beans
Broccoli slaw
Water
Two secret ingredients to be revealed later!

Pour about 10 cups of water into the pot.

Put the vegetables into the pot with the cold water.

Cut up your tofu but do not add it quite yet.

See what it looks like in the pot? It looks delicious already!

Add the flavor packets from the ramen. I used four of them.

Add about a teaspoon of sesame oil (secret ingredient #1!).

Add about a tablespoon or so of Gomasio (secret ingredient #2!).

When the water is almost boiling, go ahead and add the ramen.

You can also add the tofu at this time. Incidentally, you can use cooked chicken if you'd like.

And soup is ready!

It was very tasty. Mr. Mary Cooks said it was "pedestrian". I said, "Well, yeah! It's ramen!" The middle child loved it and had seconds. The preschooler ate most of hers. The teenager liked it (of course!).

The nice thing about this soup is that it is ripe for customization. Don't have the exact veggies I had? No problem! Use what you have on hand! Use chicken or beef or pork instead of tofu. Or use no meat whatsoever.

My First Risotto

2009-01-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

I made an informal resolution recently to begin cooking dishes that I hadn't before. I want to stretch myself and try new things. I decided to try a risotto. Inspired by the Asian grocery and their inexpensive produce I opted for a mushroom risotto. I bought three types of mushrooms: portobello, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms. I think I got all of these for about $6. Not bad, eh?

I searched the internet for mushroom risotto recipes. I read a lot of them until I settled on one that looked simple yet that would probably taste delicious. I found one on allrecipes.com that fit the bill.

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto

Submitted By: MYLEEN
Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 50 Minutes
Servings: 6
"This authentic Italian-style risotto is cooked the slow, painful way, but it's oh so worth it. It's the perfect complement for grilled meats and chicken dishes."

Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients (there are a lot!!)
Arborio rice (Trader Joe's is a very good resource for this)
Onion
Chives
Mushrooms (any combination you like)
Dry white wine
Olive oil
Pepper
Salt
Butter
Parmesan
Stock (not pictured below)

I started heating up some homemade turkey stock. You do not want it to boil but you do want it to be hot.

Slice up your mushrooms. I actually think I had a bit too many mushrooms here.

Dice up about half an onion very finely. I read somewhere that you want the pieces to be about as small as the nail on your pinky finger.

Chop up the chives for later. Honestly, I found most of the work with the risotto was all the chopping and prepping before you're ready to rock and roll with the cooking.

Shred up the parmesan.

Now you're ready. Heat up some olive oil in a pan. I picked this pan because it seemed like it would be the easiest to cook the risotto in.

Add the mushrooms so you can sauté them.

Heat them up until they're nice and soft. Then remove them to a bowl and let them stand until the end.

Put a bit more olive oil in the pan and then put the onions in. Sauté them until they are nice and soft but not browned.

Stir often and keep your eyes on them.

When they have gotten soft, add the rice.

Stir the rice for about three or four minutes until the grains are coated with oil. After that, add the white wine.

Stir the rice until the wine is absorbed into the rice. Once it is, add about a half cup of hot stock. My ladle is just shy of 1/2 cup so I have to add about a ladle and a quarter at a time.

Stir the rice around so it absorbs the stock.

Stir stir stir until the stock is absorbed prior to adding more stock.

Add more stock and stir. The theme with risotto? Stir. Stir until your hand falls off.

Great! It's absorbed and you've used about 6 cups of stock! Keep trying the rice the closer you get to it being done. You don't want to go over the line to mushy rice!

Awesome. We're all set. The last of the stock is absorbed, the rice is al dente. Remove the pan from the heat and put the butter in.

Stir that until it is all melted and integrated into the rice. Now it is time to add the shredded parmesan.

Remember your mushrooms? Add those back into the pot.

More stirring.

Finally, add some chives.

Taste. Season with salt (I used sea salt but you could also use kosher salt) and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

So, what's the verdict? I am glad I made it. It is very labor intensive and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It is delicious so the labor is worth it. It's sort of like making fudge with all the stirring. Still, I will make this again. Like I said, I think I had too many mushrooms. It was VERY mushroomy. It needed a milder flavor.

The family enjoyed it, though!

Italian Chicken with Polenta

2009-01-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a bad day where nothing really horrible or out of the ordinary happened but it was just not good nonetheless? I had one of those days today. I didn't feel good enough for what I was doing. I felt devalued as a person. Well, when I feel that way I usually end up in the kitchen. Sometimes, like tonight, it is for a good purpose. I asked the teenager to get chicken breasts out of the freezer but I hadn't a clue what to do with them. So, I improvised.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 red bell pepper
1 summer squash
1 14.5 oz. can tomatoes with onions, garlic, oregano
red wine
1 tube of polenta

First, you'll need to chop vegetables and chicken. Remember to chop up your vegetables and other items first so you can save your chicken for last. I chopped the bell pepper into strips and then cut the strips into halves.

Then I halved the squash and then sliced it.

Slice the polenta into 3/4" slices. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and then lay the slices on the sheet. Preheat the broiler in your oven.

Finally, chop the chicken into about 1-inch chunks.

Heat a nonstick skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray over medium high heat. While you're waiting for it to heat up, go ahead and pour yourself some wine. This was a great wine and I'm sad to see it go. I normally don't go out of my way for Pinot Noirs but if I see this one in the store I'll probably buy it. (This one was a gift, I believe.)

After the skillet is hot, put the chicken in. Sprinkle it with some pepper. I use white pepper but it's a matter of personal taste.

After the chicken has mostly cooked (this will take about 8-10 minutes), pour about 1/4 cup wine into the skillet. Stir to incorporate.

Add the can of tomatoes to the chicken. Again, stir it up.

Let it simmer for about five minutes so the flavors mingle and the sauce reduces just a bit.

Add the squash and red pepper into the skillet. Stir to combine and let simmer.

Meanwhile, put the polenta slices under the broiler.

After about 8 minutes, pull them out and flip them over. Yours may take less time to brown so just watch them.

After you've flipped them over, let them hang out under the broiler for about 3 or 4 more minutes. Then take them out for plating. Lay a couple of polenta slices on the plate and spoon some of the chicken and vegetable mixture over it.

This was delicious! I am really pleased with how this turned out for a night when I had to "wing" what I made for dinner. All the kids (except my picky preschooler - how did I get a picky eater??) loved it.

More Roast Chicken

2009-01-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

I have definitely been in a mood for roasted chicken lately. It's most likely the cold weather and my desire to have a warm, delicious-smelling home. I scored a great deal on this pre-seasoned lemon pepper chicken at the store. I added some potatoes and sweet potatoes to create a good meal.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the potatoes into about 1.5-inch cubes. I have to say, it was a good idea to mix up the sweet potatoes and russet potatoes. It lent some variety to the dish. Next time I'll probably add carrots and/or parsnips to the mix.

Get a roasting pan and put the chicken in breast side down. Spread the potatoes out around the chicken.

Put the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. After that, remove it from the oven, carefully turn the chicken over, and put a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. You will also want to drizzle the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put it back into the oven until the thigh temperature reads 165 degrees.

After it's out, it should look like this. Doesn't that look delicious?

The potatoes were also scrumptious:

Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes or so. Then carve it into serving sized pieces.

After you have eaten this meal and feel satisfied, don't forget to save the bones for stock!

Roasted Salmon Steaks With Pinot Noir Sauce

2009-01-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

This is my first Mark Bittman recipe and, let me tell you, I was excited to try it. I got the recipe from Bittman's blog on the New York Times website.

Ingredients:
Salmon fillets (recipe calls for 4 steaks but this is what was gotten out from the freezer)
Pinot Noir
Sugar
Rosemary
Balsamic Vinegar
Butter
Salt and Pepper

Put 1/2 cup sugar in a pan. Heat the oven to 450 degrees so it's ready to go.

Bittman says not to worry too much about stirring; just shake it up every now and then. Look, it's halfway there!

Now it's ready.

Pour 2 cups of Pinot Noir into the pan verrrrrry carefully and very slowly. Then heat the sauce up so the sugar dissolves again.

After the sugar has dissolved, add the rosemary sprig.

Boil the sauce over high heat until it reduces to about 1/2 cup.

Meanwhile, put a little olive oil in a pan and heat it up. After it's hot, place the salmon in the pan and immediately put it in the oven.

After three minutes, take it out of the oven and turn it over. Then put it back in the oven for three more minutes, or until it is done to your liking (Bittman says he likes his medium rare).

After the sauce has reduced, place the butter and balsamic vinegar in the pot. Stir until the butter has melted.

Put the salmon on the plate and spoon the sauce over the fish. I served it with green beans and pappardelle that was tossed with a tablespoon of butter and some freshly grated parmesan.

This
was
delicious!

Seriously, it was candy for adults (and kids, too). We all loved it! The preschooler even ate a bit (but not much because she's not a big dinner eater). I will definitely make this again and I think it'd be delicious over pork. Mr. Mary Cooks thinks it would be good on lamb as well!

Sunday Dinner

2009-01-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

So tonight I went with a Mexican/Southwestern type of feel to dinner. I had gotten pork shoulder out and suddenly got a craving for my mom's chile verde. Let me go on record as saying I know (and she knows) it's not real nor authentic chile verde. Nevertheless, it is so delicious and easy I knew I had to make it myself and teach you all how to make it as well.

First, though, let's start with homemade Spanish rice. This needs a little tweaking since it was a bit bland but still I feel a personal victory since it didn't come out of a box!

I put about a tablespoon into a pan.

Drain some stewed tomatoes. Put the juice into a measuring cup.

After the oil has heated up, put a cup and a half of brown rice into the pot.

Stir it and let it heat for a few minutes. Then add the tomatoes.

Stir them around and break up the tomatoes.

Now add the liquid. It should measure about 2 cups. Come to think of it, I think the juicy tomatoes saved my butt since it should have been about 3 cups of liquid total. Anyway, add your liquid.

Stir, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, it's time to make the chile verde. Ingredients: 2 lbs. or so pork shoulder, one 14.5 oz. can whole tomatoes, one 4 oz. can green chiles, oregano, garlic powder, one half onion, sliced.

Slice your onions. You can use a whole one of a half onion. We had half so that's what I used.

Cut the pork shoulder into about 1.5" or 2" cubes. You'll want to trim as much of the fat off as possible.

Put it in a pan with the heat on medium-high. Add about 2 tablespoons of oregano.

Next, add about a half tablespoon of garlic powder. Maybe more, maybe less; it depends on taste.

Stir it around so all the pieces have a good amount of oregano and garlic on them.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes. Reserve the juice in case you need it later.

Break the tomatoes up with your hands.

Back to the pork, it is time to add the onions.

It was looking a bit dry so I added a little bit of the tomato juice.

Next, I added the tomatoes.

Finally, I added the diced green chiles (undrained).

Stir everything so it's blended, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pork is cooked. If you have more time, you could definitely let it simmer away for an hour or so I'm sure.

After about 20 minutes or so, this is what the pork looks like.

The Spanish rice is done now. Doesn't it look delicious?

Serve with tortillas, refried beans, and salad. It was a delicious dinner!

The chile verde is just as I remember from my childhood.

Chicken Breasts in Cream Sauce with Capers and Pickled Asparagus

2009-01-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

I made this up tonight for dinner. It was delicious and "a keeper", according to Mr. Mary Cooks. The sons ate it all up but the preschool-aged daughter did not (but I think she's feeling a bit under the weather since she didn't even eat her salad like usual).

Chicken Breasts in Cream Sauce with Capers and Pickled Asparagus

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dill
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. capers
1 Tbsp. pickled asparagus tips, chopped

Combine the lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt, and dill in a small bowl. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Sprinkle the seasonings evenly over all chicken breasts and both sides of each.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, put the chicken breasts in gently. Brown first side for 5 minutes. Flip and brown the second side for 5 minutes. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 15-20 minutes total. Remove the chicken to a serving platter.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Whisk, stirring up the brown bits. Add the cream and whisk until it is reduced by half. Add the capers and asparagus. Cook for about 30 seconds then pour over the chicken.

I'm going to try something new this time, since I just gave you my recipe. I'm going to just post the photos and let them speak for themselves. Let me know if you like this better or if you simply think I'm being lazy (I kind of am!).

Sunday Dinner

2009-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a traditional Sunday dinner here at our house tonight. We had pork tenderloin with gravy, roasted sweet potatoes, brown rice with raisins, and salad.

The pork tenderloin was done in the slow cooker. I found the recipe at about.com: Southern Food. Here is the recipe:

Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
Ingredients:

* 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
* salt and pepper
* 1 small clove garlic, minced
* 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard or country-style
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon cold water

Preparation:
Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork in the slow cooker. Combine garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, and thyme; pour over the pork. Turn pork to coat thoroughly. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove pork to a plate, cover with foil, and keep warm. Pour the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until reduced by about one-third. Combine the cornstarch and cold water; whisk into the reduced juices and cook for 1 minute longer. Serve pork sliced with the thickened juices.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork tenderloins.

Then, lay them in the slow cooker that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Now it's time to mix the ingredients for the sauce. Start with a bit of garlic.

Next, add the brown sugar.

I chose some grainy mustard for this dish. If you don't have any you could definitely substitute dijon.

I also chose apple cider vinegar for this even though I did have balsamic. I just thought the apple cider vinegar would go better with this particular recipe.

Now it is time for the honey.

Finally, add the thyme.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together.

Pour the sauce over the tenderloins.

You'll want to get your hands messy with this next step because the best thing is to turn and coat the tenderloins with the sauce. Then you put the lid on, turn it to low, and let it cook for 7 hours.

After 7 hours have gone by, take it out and let it rest while you make the gravy. Pour the juice into a sauce pan. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water into a glass. Mix it up well with a fork and pour it into the gravy. Let the gravy come to a boil for a couple of minutes or until thickened.

Here is the pork after it has cooked. My only complaint is that it turned out stringy (but tender!) and wasn't easy to cut into medallions.

While the pork is cooking, make the roasted potatoes. Here is the recipe:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey

Serves: 6 servings

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 40 minutes in oven or until tender.

Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter.

Here are the ingredients:

Chop up the sweet potatoes into roughly the same size cubes.

Put them into a bowl and then drizzle with olive oil.

Follow with the honey (remember my tip of measuring out oil before honey?).

Sprinkle with a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now, transfer to a cookie sheet and make sure they are in a single layer.

Roast them for about 40 minutes, or until they're tender.

Now it's time for the brown rice salad. This was a delicious and kid-friendly way to have brown rice. Here is the recipe:

Savory Brown Rice and Raisins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions.
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook stirring occasionally until onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Stir in raisins, green onion and water.
Reduce heat to low.
Cover and cook 5 minutes or until raisins are plump.
Stir in cooked rice.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6 servings.

I didn't take an ingredients photo of this. Start by sautéing the onion.

Add the raisins and green onion. Also add 1/4 cup water, turn the heat to low, and cook for a few minutes.

Add the brown rice to the skillet. Add salt and pepper and warm the ingredients.

After this you have a great brown rice salad.

And you also have a delicious dinner!

Beef Stroganoff

2009-01-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago my dad gave me some mushrooms he wasn't going to be able to use up before they went bad. I instantly thought of stroganoff (I had been craving it for a week or so). I had half an onion and a tub of sour cream in my refrigerator that were in the same predicament as dad's mushrooms.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1-2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup beef broth (I made from bouillon)
16 oz. package pasta

Chop the onions. You can also slice them; it just depends upon how you like them in your stroganoff.

Put the ground beef, mushrooms, and onions in a skillet. Add the garlic powder.

Then, add the mustard.

See? All happy in the pan.

Break up the meat and brown it.

While the meat is browning, combine the sour cream and the beef broth.

The ground beef is browned, so put the sour cream/broth mixture into the skillet.

Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. You can use whatever pasta you have on hand. I only had rigatoni but normally I'd use egg noodles or rotini. Also, you won't use all of this pasta so you can either cook half a bag or do what I did: put the cooked pasta in a freezer bag to be added to a dish later (soup or stew).

Simmer the stroganoff sauce until it has thickened nicely.

Add a tablespoon or so of dried parsley if you feel like it.

Serve with a salad and you have a nice, quick dinner!

Banana Muffins

2009-01-03T19:16:00.001-08:00

I had several bananas that were ripening on my counter. I needed to find a good, healthy recipe for banana muffins I could make for my middle son to take for breakfast. I found just what I was looking for on Better Budgeting. More importantly, I already had the ingredients so I didn't need to go to the store. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1 c. mashed bananas
1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

In a bowl combine salt, flour, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl combine honey, eggs, oil and banana making sure to mix well. Add banana blend to the flour mixture, careful not to over mix. Pour into greased muffin pans or paper muffin cups. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Remove pan to rack, and let stand for 10 minutes. Invert pan and let finish cooling on rack. Best served warm. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Variation: Banana bread... bake mini-loaves 40-45 minutes and for 1 regular loaf bake 1 hour.

(Yes, I forgot the oil in the ingredients photo! D'oh!)

Measure the flour into the bowl.

Then the baking powder.

Baking soda is next!

Finally, the salt.

Put your bananas into a bowl.

Use a fork to mash them up. Mash 'em up really well.

Measure out one cup of mashed bananas into a separate bowl from the flour mixture.

I put the remaining mashed bananas into a freezer bag for future use and placed it in the freezer.

Look! Here is the vegetable oil I forgot!

Pour the oil into the half cup measure.

Now comes the honey. A little trick is to use the measuring cup for oil before honey. That way the honey doesn't stick in the measuring cup.

Two eggs into a separate bowl or measuring cup:

After you beat the eggs, add them to the banana mixture.

Mix very well to incorporate all the liquid ingredients together. After you've done that, pour it into the flour.

Mix the liquid and flour just enough so all of the flour is moistened. You do not want to overmix muffin batter.

Pour by the heaping tablespoon into greased or lined muffin tin.

Bake in the oven. I think I had to bake mine for about 40 minutes. I haven't tried them but they look delicious!

It makes me happy to provide a healthy muffin for my son for his breakfasts. He loves it and it makes him feel like he's having a treat.

The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup

2008-12-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

As per tradition, tonight I made the Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup today using the ham bone leftover from the Christmas ham. It is delicious and, honestly, the best ham and bean soup I have ever tried.

Here is the recipe:

The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup Recipe

2 pounds dried navy beans
four quarts hot water
1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the navy beans and run hot water through them until they are slightly whitened. Place beans into pot with hot water. Add ham hocks and simmer approximately three hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks and set aside to cool. Dice meat and return to soup. Lightly brown the onion in butter. Add to soup. Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 8.

I would say it serves a lot more than 8. It served our family of five with two having second helpings and there was a lot left for another meal and/or lunches for the work week.

The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

2008-12-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

Since it was snowing today (we have about a foot and a half!) I needed some comfort food. I chose The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna. This is such a seriously good recipe. No, it's not authentic. It doesn't matter; it tastes good.

You can go to her website (link above) for a detailed list of ingredients and instructions.

First, start with spicy sausage and ground beef. Brown it in a pan.

Add two cloves of garlic. I used the jarred kind. I took the lazy way out. But, you know, you couldn't tell the difference (at least not in this recipe).

There is a lot of fat in this so you'll want to spoon it off.

It's time to add the tomatoes. I use one big can of tomatoes vs. the two smaller cans as called for TPW.

It's starting to look really good!

Add the two cans of tomato paste.

Next add the herbs. Two tablespoons each of parsley and basil.

The smells are already driving the kids insane. Mr. Mary Cooks makes a snack for them.

Okay, let the sauce simmer for about 45 minutes on medium-low. Stir it occasionally.

Meanwhile, get the cottage cheese mixture ready. Three cups of lowfat cottage cheese go into the bowl.

Add 1/2 cup of parmesan from a can. I KNOW. That doesn't mean it's not delicious.

Two eggs are to be added to the mixture.

Add a couple tablespoons of parsley.

Mix together until it is all incorporated.

Great! Now it is time for assembly! I am using the no-boil lasagna noodles. Put four down in the pan (I sprayed it with nonstick cooking spray first).

Put half of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles.

8 ounces of mozzarella cheese goes on top of the cottage cheese mixture.

Here is where I diverge a bit from TPW's recipe. I lay one-third of the sauce on top of the cheese instead of one-half.

Then, repeat the layers. I end with one more layer of noodles and the rest of the sauce. (So it is: noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, sauce-noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, sauce-noodles, sauce.) Sprinkle the top with some more grated parmesan.

Cover with foil, seal tightly, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes or until it is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

When it comes out, let it rest for about 15 minutes.

I sliced some focaccia bread to go with it and also cooked some broccoli.

And dinner is served!

Like I said earlier, this is hardly authentic but it is delicious. Mr. Mary Cooks had two servings. The teenager ate at least four pieces! We only have two pieces left out of the pan. So much for leftovers!

Trashy Dinner!

2008-12-20T19:58:00.000-08:00

I got a new camera (a Canon Digital Rebel XSi - 12.2MP) and it even makes this throw-it-together dinner look amazing.

Ingredients:
Potatoes (about 6-7)
Turkey Ham
2 lbs. Velveeta
Cream of Chicken Soup
Half can of milk (not pictured)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the potatoes thinly:

Lay them in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Next, cube the turkey ham.

Place it on top of the potatoes.

The Velveeta gets cubed next.

Place that on top of the turkey ham and potatoes.

Pour the cream of chicken soup into a small bowl (or you can use cream of mushroom soup if you'd like).

Add a half can of milk.

Stir it together so it's incorporated then pour it over the potatoes, turkey ham, and Velveeta.

Place it in the oven for 25 minutes, uncovered. Then bring it out of the oven.

Stir it all up.

Cover it with foil and put it back into the oven for 45-50 minutes or until the potatoes are done. Mine made a bit of a mess in the bottom of the oven so you may want to either not fill the pan as full or put the pan on a cookie sheet. Get it out of the oven and uncover it.

While it's setting a bit, get your vegetable going. I chose green beans.

After the vegetables are done, you're ready to serve!

This was delicious. My husband had two servings. My middle son loved it as well. The toddler thought it was yummy but is not feeling well so she didn't eat too much. The teenager is not home at the moment so we'll see what he thinks later. Anyway, it's probably not very good for you but it is a filling, warming meal.

I got great deals on the ingredients for this meal:

Turkey ham was $2.67
Velveeta was $0.99 (!)
Potatoes were $1.88 for a 10 pound bag (I used about half, maybe a bit less)
Cream of chicken soup was $0.50

Score!

We usually don't eat Velveeta but for such a good deal I couldn't pass it up.

Breakfast for Dinner

2008-12-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

It is snowy here today and I didn't feel like going to the grocery store. It was time to look in my huge freezer for food to cook that wouldn't be too involved nor something that I'd need more ingredients for. I settled on chicken breakfast sausages and bacon. We'd have breakfast for dinner! My kids love it when I cook this.

First, I set the mood for cooking. I lit two candles that I got in my cookie party gift exchange last night. They're lovely!

I proceeded to cook the bacon. It looks so delicious (it was!).

After the bacon, I cooked the sausages. This particular brand of chicken breakfast sausage were not as good as the brand I normally get (Isernio's). But since I got them at a pretty good discount I couldn't complain too much.

Next, I cooked toast while the eggs were cooking. Eggs! I can't believe I forgot to take a photo of the lovely eggs. Oh well. A lot was going on at that moment.

This is my daughter's plate. Doesn't it look delicious?

Turkey!

2008-11-29T23:20:00.000-08:00

I was following Alton Brown's roast turkey recipe for the brining portion.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup kosher salt
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar
* 1 gallon vegetable stock
* 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
* 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
* 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
* 1 gallon iced water

First into the pot goes the kosher salt.

Next, the brown sugar.

Followed by the vegetable stock. I didn't have a gallon of this stuff so I used 5 cans and water for the balance of the 128 ounces.

When I saw the next ingredient (allspice berries) I was reminded of why I probably have them in my spice drawer to begin with!

I'm also a white peppercorn girl but you can use whatever you have handy.

I skipped the candied ginger as I didn't have any of that, either. I figured it wouldn't be too important, especially since I wasn't following the second half of the recipe (see link above).

I brought the mixture to a boil so that the salt and brown sugar dissolved.

After it was brought to a boil I was in a hurry to get the turkey in the brine. You can't put the turkey in while it's hot so I brought it down to cool (cooler than room temp) with ice cubes. I remembered to do a rough count of the ice cubes towards the gallon of ice water needed in the recipe.

I was fortunate to score brining bags from Williams-Sonoma this year so that's what I used.

In goes the liquid. You want to try to get as much air out as you possibly can prior to sealing the bag. Incidentally, you can also do this in a 5 gallon bucket. I did it once in a (clean, new) Home Depot bucket. But it's a bear to clean up so I prefer the bags.

After the turkey is done brining (6-12 hours), rinse it thoroughly inside and out. Place it in the pan and dry it with paper towels.

I used this wet turkey rub from Williams-Sonoma. I have to say that I'm not that impressed. The flavor was all right but, well, you'll see what happens.

Rub that stuff all over your turkey!

I mean, allllllllll over...

Next, take some veggies (onion that's been quartered, celery, carrot, and garlic cloves which have been peeled). Cut them into manageable pieces. For the carrots and celery I basically cut them into thirds.

Stuff 'em into that bad boy...or girl...

Put your probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and set the alarm for 161 degrees.

Per Alton's recipe, you want to roast it at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Not such a great idea with this particular wet rub since it has brown sugar on it. Anyway, then you turn it down to 350 degrees until it hits 161 degrees internally.

See why it's not a great idea with this rub?

I was honestly thinking of not showing you this photo. But I figured I'd might as well. I'm human, and not everything I make comes out looking like the best meal ever. I will say, however, that after we let this turkey rest for about 45 minutes we peeled off the skin, carved it, and had a great meal. It was delicious! I was so happy that it tasted good despite looking sketchy.

I made the best stuffing ever, incidentally. I used Grand Central Baking Company's recipe and stuffing roughly. I didn't have the fresh herbs for it, unfortunately, so I used dried parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. It was crunchy yet soft (the oh-so-elusive balance!). It was perfect.

Tom Douglas' Triple Coconut Cream Pie

2008-11-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the post you have all been waiting for!

About a year ago I first tried Tom Douglas' Triple Coconut Cream Pie at one of his restaurants called Lola. I don't really care for coconut all that much but had heard of its legendary goodness. Well, the legends didn't lie. It was delicious! I've had it a few times since then and decided instead of buying a pie for Thanksgiving ($35) I would make it instead.

I have only made pumpkin pies before; and even then, I had only used Pillsbury's pre-made pie crust. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I was a little hesitant about making this crust but figured what's the worst that could happen?

The recipe is available in Douglas' book, Seattle Kitchen. I lost my copy of the recipe so I found it online at Cakespy.

Here we go! The crust is first.

Coconut pie crust

MAKES: 1 (9-inch) pie crust
PREP: 20 minutes
CHILL: 2 hours
BAKE: 34 minutes

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1. Pulse first 5 ingredients in a food processor 6 to 10 times or until mixture is crumbly. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until dough holds together when pressed between fingers. (Dough will not form a ball or even clump together in processor—it will be loose.)

2. Turn dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap; press into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.

3. Roll dough to a 12- to 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, trimming excess to a 1- to 11/2-inch overhang. Turn dough under along rim of pie pan, and flute edges. Chill at least 1 hour before baking.

4. Preheat oven to 400°. Place a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper in piecrust, extending over edges, and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; discard foil and beans, and return piecrust to oven. Bake for 14 to 17 more minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Here are the ingredients:

I first put the flour into the food processor.

Then the coconut went in.

Sugar's up next!

Just a little bit of salt for the dough...

Slice your butter up and put it into the food processor.

Per the recipe, add the water one tablespoon at a time. I actually did use all 5 tablespoons.

Here is what it looked like. A bunch of crumbs.

Then, I put a piece of plastic wrap down on my counter and poured the contents of the food processor bowl onto the wrap.

Using the plastic wrap, I patted it into a disc. It then went into the refrigerator for one hour.

After it had been in the refrigerator I found this nifty Tupperware dough measuring thingy that the previous owners of our house had left. We have lived here for five years and I think this is the first, maybe second, time I had ever used it.

I spread a bit of flour on the mat and on the rolling pin. Then I put the dough down.

I worked as quickly as I could to get it spread out to the size necessary.

It took a bit of finessing but I managed to get it into the pie plate. This was not easy for me.

Now, the pie plate went back into the refrigerator for another hour. Once it came out I covered the bottom of it with parchment paper.

I used a one pound bag of pinto beans as pie weights.

It went into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. When it came out, it looked like this:

Then, I put it back in for about 15 minutes. No, it's not pretty. I was a little worried at this point. I left it on a wire rack to cool until the next morning (it was 2:30 a.m. after the baking).

Now it is time to make the coconut pastry cream!

Here is the rest of the recipe:

Triple Coconut Cream Pie
(Makes one 9-inch pie)

Ingredients:

For The Coconut Pastry Cream

* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
* 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

For The Pie

* One 9-inch Coconut Pie Shell (find the recipe here),
* prebaked and cooled
* 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Garnish

* 2 ounces unsweetened "chip" or large-shred coconut (about 11/2 cups) or sweetened shredded coconut
* Chunks of white chocolate (4 to 6 ounces, to make 2 ounces of curls)

Instructions

1. To make the pastry cream, combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and pod to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring a small amount (about 1/3 Cup) of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until it melts. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools.

3. When the pastry cream is cold, fill the prebaked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface. In an electric mixer with the whisk, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla on medium speed. Gradually increase the speed to high and whip to peaks that are firm enough to hold their shape. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the whipped cream and pipe it all over the surface of the pie, or spoon it over.

4. For the garnish, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the coconut chips on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, watching carefully and stirring once or twice, since coconut burns easily, until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape about 2 ounces of the white chocolate into curls.

On The Plate
Cut the pie into 6 to 8 wedges and place on dessert plates. Decorate each wedge of pie with white chocolate curls and the toasted coconut.

Ingredients for the pastry cream looked like this:

I realized, too late, that not only had I not gotten a cube of butter out to soften, but the only butter I had was frozen! I quickly did an internet search about softening butter rapidly and came across the tip to grate it. This would work like a charm.

I split a vanilla bean first. It was the first time I had done this as well.

Then, I scraped the seeds using the blade of the knife.

Into the pot went the coconut.

Then, the milk. I used 2% as it is what we had on hand and it was just fine.

The vanilla bean seeds and pod went in to the pot.

I had my assistant chef stir the mixture while I made the next part.

Two eggs go into the bowl.

Then, some sugar:

Finally, some flour:

I used a fork to stir everything up.

By this time, the milk/coconut/vanilla mixture was starting to boil. I switched to a whisk.

After it was heated to almost a boil, it was time to add the egg mixture. I didn't get a photo of this next part because I was working quickly so as to avoid burning the milk but I put some milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper it. Coconut scrambled eggs were not on the menu! I started with about 1/3 cup of hot milk mixture and probably put in about 2/3 cup milk into the eggs before I put the eggs (and a bit of milk) into the pot.

I whisked constantly for about 5 minutes until it thickened considerably. Then I took it off the burner and added the butter.

I prepared two metal bowls: one big and one smaller. The big one had ice water in it.

I poured the mixture into the smaller bowl and then placed it in the bowl with the ice water. Occasionally I would stir it until it was fairly cool.

After it was cooled, I covered it with plastic wrap and had it right on the surface so a skin would not form.

Here are the ingredients for the garnish:

Note the box of white chocolate says they're discs. I somehow missed that in the store! D'oh! So, I had to punt. I chopped them up into small pieces.

The coconut went on to a cookie sheet to be toasted.

Here are the ingredients for the whipped cream:

The sugar went into the mixer bowl.

The heavy cream and vanilla did as well. I then mixed it on medium, then high speed. It didn't take very long.

I had poured the cold pastry cream into the pie crust.

Mr. Mary Cooks then piped the whipped cream onto the pie. I don't do piping.

He did a great job!

I put the garnish on. First, the white chocolate:

And then the toasted coconut:

This is what the pie looked like. It looked so good!

After Thanksgiving dinner, my dad cut into it.

My dad had an interesting question for me. He wanted to know how my version stacked up against Tom Douglas' version. I told him it was pretty similar, actually. Flavor was similar. Tom's looks better than mine. His crust is better than mine was. Still, there were no leftovers of this pie!

I will say it probably took about 5 hours, total, to make. Also, I burned my arm on the top element of the oven when I got the pie crust out the first time. I will always have a memento of my first pie from scratch.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. And I'm really happy my fear of making pies has diminished. If I could tackle this one, I'm sure I could make more.

This pie was delicious. Seriously, you could not ask for a better pie.

A Few Dinners

2008-11-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight's dinner (scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, biscuit):

---------

Pork roast, green beans, and au gratin potatoes from earlier this week:

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Pot roast from last night:

On the plate:

For the pot roast I put an onion cut into wedges into a dutch oven, the roast, potatoes cut into sixths, baby carrots next. Then I put seasonings (salt, pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning), diced tomatoes, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and about 1/2 cup of chicken broth into the pot. I put it in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours but it could have been in the oven for at least another hour. The flavor was pretty good but it wasn't as tender as it should have been. Ah well.

SpongeBob SquarePants Birthday Cake

2008-11-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

This is sort of a guest post. I baked the cake and mixed the frosting colors but Mr. Mary Cooks did the decorating. He did such a great job and I am totally impressed by how awesome SpongeBob looks! From what I've seen in internet searches over the past couple of weeks, this is one of the best ones out there (and maybe the best one that doesn't use fondant). Okay, enough bragging! Our daughter wanted this cake for her 3rd birthday and she is over the moon happy about it. Let's take a look, shall we?

First, my husband printed out a template to use for the shape. He scaled the image so SpongeBob's body plus his pant legs would fit within the dimensions of our 16" square cake, knowing he could use the trimmings to make up his arms and legs.

Then he used black food coloring (we use gel food coloring for cake decorating) and a q-tip to stencil the location of the eyes and mouth on the cake.

It's frosting time!

Our daughter is sharing her birthday party with our friend who may be allergic to chocolate (it still is to be determined) so we had to make brown frosting instead of just using chocolate frosting. Here are the pants getting frosted on to the cake.

The almost 3 year old takes a frosting break. (AKA opportunistic cute child photo)

Now he frosted SpongeBob's shirt white.

He did the eyes and the teeth white. He also added the yellow legs and arms.

Next up was red. My husband used this for SpongeBob's tongue, as shown below.

SpongeBob's tie is also red.

Black is up for the mouth.

Outlining makes a huge difference in this cake, as you can see below.

SpongeBob's feet are next.

Finally, the sponge pores details.

It's all done! It is a thing of beauty. I can't wait to take it to the party tomorrow!

Thai Green Curry Salmon

2008-11-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight for dinner I was inspired and decided to make salmon in a Thai style. I had a can of pre-made green curry in my pantry. After opening it, I tossed it in favor of making my own.

Start with some nice salmon. I used salmon steaks but fillets would have been better. It's still beautiful, even after two months in the freezer.

You need green curry paste, coconut milk (light is okay), bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chicken broth.

Pour the coconut milk into a pan. I swirled it around as I poured so it would look beautiful.

Add the green curry paste. How much you add depends upon how spicy you like your food. I added about 1 teaspoon but if the kids weren't going to eat this I would have added about 1 tablespoon!

Bring it to a boil then turn it down and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add 3 tablespoons of beautiful fish sauce. Sure, it looks great but it smells awful. Try not to contemplate how they make it.

Add two tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir to incorporate.

Add 1/3 cup of chicken broth. I used homemade.

Lay the salmon down into the pan. You can also use chicken that has been cut up into bite-sized pieces (in fact, that's how I usually make this).

After the salmon has cooked on one side for 10 minutes, carefully flip it over and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Add bamboo shoots - strips are best - to the pan.

Add some drained straw mushrooms. I use the pieces (broken) because they're way cheaper than the whole mushrooms. Heat the mixture for about another 5 minutes or until the salmon is cooked.

Serve!

This was very tasty. I am missing the Thai basil leaves which would have made the flavor better but I didn't have any on hand (I had everything else). You want to serve it over calrose (sticky) rice.

Rolls!

2008-11-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

So, my rolls turned out all right. They need more flavor but they were pretty.

These are waiting to be baked in the oven:

Here they are cooling on racks:

Finally, here they are in a bowl waiting to be eaten!

I took them to the party and brought a lot home. That's all right; the only fault is they're a bit bland. But that's all right for saucy things since you can use the roll to sop it up!

I used this recipe from Hillbilly Housewife:

Family Bread

* 4 cups warm tap water (not hot)
* 2/3 cup non-fat dry milk powder (instant powdered milk)
* 1/3 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey
* 2 packets or 4 teaspoons dry yeast
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1/3 cup melted margarine or oil
* 12 cups (approximately) white or whole wheat flour or a combination

The first thing you need is a big bowl or clean dish pan to mix this up in. I use a huge metal bowl that is made of stainless steel. But I used to use the same plastic dish tub I washed the dishes in. I would wash it with a little bit of bleach, rinse it really well, and then dry it completely. In some ways it worked better because it fit on my lap more conveniently due to the rectangular shape. But the shiny stainless steel one does look more like I know what I'm doing. So much for appearances.

So anyway mix the water, dry milk powder and sugar in the dishpan or bowl. Add the yeast, sort of sprinkled on top. Allow the mixture to sit until the yeast dissolves some, this will only take a couple of minutes. Add the salt, margarine or oil, and flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until it gets too stiff and then dig in with your hands. When the dough is in a nice cohesive ball, turn it out onto a floured kitchen table or counter. Or if you are using a dish pan, you can just leave it in there.

Now start kneading the dough with all of the love you have for your family. Press the dough and send big love vibes into it. Stretch the dough and impress all of your compassion and generosity into it. Remember why you love your kids, and your spouse and your mom or you dad, and just put it all into the dough. Knead it like this for a full ten minutes. Add more flour if you need to as you go along.

Coat the dough with oil, about 2 tablespoons of it, and put it into the bowl or dishpan. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and let it set in a warm place to rise for about an hour or so. It should double in bulk. It may take up to two hours on cool days, or in the air conditioning, so be patient.

Punch down the dough by literally pressing your fist into the center of it. Divide the dough into 4 equal lumps. Coax them into loaf shapes and place them into large (9 by 5-inch) well oiled loaf pans. If you don't have enough loaf pans, use casserole pans or cake pans, or whatever. Cover the dough with a cloth or more plastic wrap and let it rise again. It should take less time for the second rising. When the dough is risen up enough, bake the loaves at 350° for 40 minutes.

You can tell the dough is done if you turn it out of the pan and thump the bottom with your finger. It should make a dull hollow sound. If it doesn't sound hollow, put it back into the pan and cook it some more. Makes four loaves.

Lots of Meals!

2008-11-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been away. I've been cooking, really! Here are some dishes cooked up over the past week:

Pork chops with rice and broccoli (also Mae Ploy sweet chilli sauce - delicious!):

Roasted chicken and potatoes with peas:

(I actually have a step-by-step for this that I should post.)

Sloppy Joe Ghoulish Goulash (this was for Halloween and so yummy!):

Au gratin potatoes with smoked sausages and green beans:

Chicken in Creamy Pan Sauce (a Kraft recipe and, honestly, not that great), green beans, and rice:

The Pioneer Woman's Best Lasagna Ever with Texas Toast (I LOVE this recipe):

Finally, I made my toddler a bento lunch for tomorrow. It's so cute and way more balanced than her lunches usually are. I think I'll stick with this!

Easy Sloppy Joe Pot Pie (plus bonus pics at the end)

2008-10-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Easy Sloppy Joe Pot Pie

A la my friend from Dining Alone, here is a photo of the recipe.

Ingredients:
Hamburger
1 medium onion (or half of a very large one)
Bisquick or generic
Milk
Egg
4 oz. cheese, grated

Combine the chopped onion and hamburger into the skillet and brown the hamburger.

Meanwhile, make the batter. Put a half cup of milk into a cup of Bisquick.

Put an egg into the bowl.

While the hamburger browns and the onion cooks, it's drink time!

Ingredients for Sex on the Beach:
Vodka
Peach Schnapps
Cranberry
Orange Juice

Pour 1 1/2 oz. vodka into a shaker filled with ice.

Next, pour 1/2 oz. peach schnapps into the shaker.

Now, add 2 oz. each cranberry and orange juices.

Shake and then strain into a glass filled with ice.

Delicious!

Ahem. Back to the task at hand. Once the hamburger has been browned, add a can of Manwich.

Then, add the shredded cheese. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I took the somewhat easy way out and used mozzarella we already had grated vs. grating sharp cheddar. It was just as good, so you can use any cheese you have on hand.

Mix it all together and pour it into an 8x8 pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Then, pour the Bisquick mix over the top and spread it to cover.

Bake it in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Delicious!! The toddler didn't eat very much of it but the middle child loved it.

Now, for some random photos.

This was my dinner a few days ago. Store-bought chow mein and egg rolls.

Here's my Mexican Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. This was delicious as well.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

2008-10-19T19:14:00.001-07:00

Pasta e fagioli soup and cheddar biscuit. Completely delicious!

The soup was from a base by Bean Cuisine:

I added homemade turkey broth, turkey Italian sausages, and vegetables (onion, garlic, yellow bell pepper, carrots, celery). I also added a can of stewed tomatoes. The soup was divine!

I also made some cheddar biscuits from a recipe I found on the internet and seems to be highly replicated (replicated? duplicated?). Anyway, it's supposed to mirror Red Lobster's cheddar biscuits. I don't know if they do as I have never eaten there but the biscuits were very good. Here's the recipe:

Cheddar Bay Biscuits
like Red Lobster's®
Garlic and cheddar make a flavorful addition to basic drop biscuits.

Serves: 8
Prep. Time: 0:15

2 cups Bisquick® baking mix
2/3 cup milk - low fat okay
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese - low fat okay
1/4 cup butter OR margarine - melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
parsley flakes - as needed

-Combine Bisquick®, milk, and cheddar and beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds.
-Spoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
-Bake in 450 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.
-Combine butter and garlic powder and pour over hot biscuits; sprinkle with parsley.

Notes: As we all know, restaurants have access to ingredients home cooks do not. In this case, I've been told Red Lobster® uses their Shrimp Scampi butter mix (a powder) to flavor their biscuits. So, this recipe is as close as a home cook can get to the real thing.

Chicken Stew

2008-10-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe similar to this on the Kraft Foods website. I modified it to fit our taste buds.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
16 small red potatoes, halved
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can full of milk
1/2 cup Italian dressing
16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
sour cream

Put the chicken into a dutch oven to sauté. (Next time I'll do this in batches so they'll brown.)

After the chicken is cooked, add the potatoes.

Next, add the Italian dressing.

Add one can cream of chicken soup (contrary to what is pictured in the ingredients photo).

Pour milk into the can and then put it into the dutch oven.

Now, add the mixed vegetables.

Mix together, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add about three tablespoonfuls of sour cream. Stir to incorporate into the soup.

Serve with biscuits!

This soup was very good and a bit reminiscent of tom ka gai (Thai chicken soup). I will definitely make this again!

Taco Bake

2008-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Taco Bake! I always put vegetables in there to pad out the casserole and to make it more nutritious. Also, I used ground chicken, not ground beef.

And, look! I used a small plate.

Here's the Taco Bake recipe from Kraft Food and Family. It's pretty good as is but I like the veggies in it (I just boil the frozen veggies along with the pasta).

Taco Bake
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 35 min
Makes: 6 servings, 1 cup each

What You Need

1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Make It

HEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package.

STIR sour cream into prepared Dinner; spoon 1/2 into 8-inch square baking dish. Top with layers of meat mixture, 1 cup cheese and remaining Dinner mixture; cover with foil.

BAKE 15 min.; top with salsa and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.
Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise
Keep an eye on portion size when you enjoy this hearty meal.

Special Extra
For extra crunch, prepare and bake as directed, topping with 1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips along with the salsa and cheese.

Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Peas & Carrots

2008-10-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

I initially got this recipe over at Allrecipes and modified it a bit. I added a can of cream of mushroom soup, basically. Everything else was as written. The teenager loved this as did the middle child. The toddler barely touched it. My husband and I liked it all right.

Ingredients:
2 pounds hamburger
1 egg
can of french onion soup
can of cream of mushroom soup
flour
ground mustard
water
ketchup
worcestershire sauce
bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Put the hamburger in a bowl and add the bread crumbs.

Add 1/3 cup of the french onion soup and the beaten egg.

Mix it all up, gently, and form into patties.

Brown the patties in a pan, about 5-6 minutes per side.

Make the gravy. Basically, it's mixing everything left in the recipe together.

Pour the gravy on the browned patties.

Cover and let cook for 20-25 minutes. When they're done they'll look like this.

Serve. This was actually pretty good. And now that I think about it, it's obviously a classic TV dinner meal! So, as I look at this again, it looks very greasy. It didn't taste greasy but it definitely had too much, I think.

Fall Menu!

2008-10-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day since Thursday I have felt like a human being. I have had the plague for days and I can't remember the last time a cold has knocked me out like this. Therefore, some comfort food was definitely in order.

Macaroni and Cheese with Acorn Squash

Ingredients:
2 acorn squash
Butter
Brown sugar
Salt

---

1 lb. macaroni
1 Tbsp. salt
5 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne
5 cups milk
8 oz. sharp Cheddar, grated
8 oz. Colby Jack, grated
1 tsp. salt

First, get the squash ready.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cut the squash in half.

Scoop out the seeds.

Lay them cut side down on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

After 30 minutes, take them out of the oven and flip them over. Put about 1/2 Tbsp. butter in the middle.

Sprinkle lightly with brown sugar.

Now sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Put them back in the oven for another half hour.

Now, get your water going for the macaroni. Add a tablespoon of salt to the water.

Once it's boiling, add the macaroni and cook for about 10 minutes.

Drain the macaroni and reserve in the colander.

Now put the butter into the dutch oven and melt over medium high heat.

Add the flour, ground mustard, and cayenne.

Whisk into a roux. Keep whisking for about a minute.

Add the milk slowly.

Whisk constantly until it boils.

In the meantime, get the squash out of the oven. How lovely!

Keep stirring the milk. It will feel like an eternity.

Oh! Finally it's boiling!! Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes.

Now is the time to add the cheese.

Stir it all up (off the heat) until it's melted and beautiful.

Add the macaroni and stir until it's all incorporated.

Man, this is just lovely!

Here is a fantastic fall meal. Perfection! It was very tasty, too!

Chilaquiles

2008-10-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

I found a blog called $5 Dinners last week. The $5 Dinner Mom made a dish called Egg Tortilla Casserole. I think they may be called "Chilaquiles" and normally I use crispy chips when I make this but her version looked yummy so I decided to make it.

Ingredients:
6 tortillas, torn into pieces
6 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup salsa
tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
handful of shredded cheddar

Lay the torn tortillas down in the pan that has been greased with nonstick cooking spray.

Chop up your tomatoes and onions.

Put 6 eggs into a large bowl.

Add the milk.

Beat it together and then add the salsa.

Now, add the chopped onion.

Finally, add the tomatoes. Then stir gently.

Pour it over the tortillas.

Top with shredded cheese.

Bake in a 325-degree oven for about 30-35 minutes.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes then serve!

Fettuccine with Salmon and Vegetables

2008-09-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Salmon (about 2 cups, cooked and flaked)
16 oz. fettuccine
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 zucchini, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
(not pictured: butter, olive oil, fresh ground pepper)

Put some water on to boil for your fettuccine. Then, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a big pan.

Once it has melted, add your vegetables.

Stir these around and let them soften a bit.

Now, add the sauce and stir it together.

*Add the salmon.

Stir gently.

Put your fettuccine in boiling water and cook until it's al dente.

Drain the fettuccine and mix with the sauce.

Now, plate your dinner!

*Next time I make this I am going to do something else about the salmon. Serving it on top of the pasta-vegetable mixture would be better. Due to stirring, it ended up too incorporated and too spread out.

I have to admit I only ate about half of my fettuccine. The flavor was good but I was just so disgusted by this failure that I couldn't finish it. It did give me a good idea, though. I should try to make salmon puttanesca (in lieu of using tuna).

Food and Drink

2008-09-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last night's cocktail:

Chai and Vanilla Vodka (as prescribed by a friend)

8 oz. water, heated
1 scoop chai mix
1/4 cup half and half
Vanilla vodka as desired

Last night's dinner:

The Pioneer Woman's lasagna, caesar salad, garlic bread

Tonight's dinner (feeling a lot more whiskey tango):

Chicken Top Ramen, vodka with Jones Soda Lemon Drop

ETA:
Need to make a slight disclaimer here for new people on board. I don't drink every night. *grin*

Greek Chicken with Orzo

2008-09-25T21:10:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
One chicken, cut up (I had the butcher in my grocery store do this for me)
One can stewed tomatoes
One red onion
Kalamata olives
Marinated artichoke hearts
Orzo
4 oz. feta cheese

Slice the red onion. I always cut it in half and then slice it so it's not too difficult to handle.

I pulled out the Greek seasoning for the chicken. I sprinkled this on.

Brown the chicken for 5 minutes in hot olive oil.

Remove to a plate.

Add the onions to the hot pan.

Sauté for a few minutes until they are brown and soft.

Add the chicken back to the pan.

Now, add the can of stewed tomatoes (undrained).

Cover, and cook on medium for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is done. While it is cooking, get your orzo going as well. Meanwhile, do a rough chop of the kalamata olives.

After the chicken is done, remove the cover and add the artichoke hearts.

Then add the olives. Stir and let sit for a few minutes to warm.

Serve the chicken on a mound of orzo and covered with the yummy things from the pot. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

This was so delicious I couldn't eat it all!! I was stuffed!

Salt Dome Salmon

2008-09-25T20:45:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday my husband, coworker, and I were up in Ketchikan, Alaska fishing for coho salmon. We caught some!

We brought it home and the first thing I thought of was to use Alton Brown's Salt Dome fish recipe (I think he originally used a striped bass).

Ingredients:
3 - 3 lb. boxes kosher salt
6 egg whites
1 cup (or more) water
One whole fish, preferably with tail and head on, gills removed (but mine was just fine)
Herbs of your choice
Lemon, cut into thin slices

Easy peasy, right? Pour half of the salt into a very large bowl.

Separate the whites from the yolks.

Pour the egg whites into the bowl.

Now, pour the water into the bowl.

Finally, finish with the second half of the salt.

Mix thoroughly. You want the mixture to be mortar-like. Very thick and wet (but not too wet!).

Slice your lemon fairly thinly.

Take a second to admire that beautiful fish.

Stuff it with some herbs and the lemon slices. I used dill and some thyme grown in my parents' garden.

Lay down a bed of salt on your pan. Then put the fish on the salt.

Pack the salt around the fish very well.

Bake in a 450 degree oven until the fish is done. We baked this one for about an hour (it was approximately 10 pounds of fish) and, arguably, it could have been in there for less time. You want the fish temperature to read 130 degrees. Ours was higher which resulted in having some dry spots but it was still a superior flavor to anything you'd get from the market.

Here is where I will defer to Alton Brown and his wisdom:

Open the fish at the table by hitting the dome several times with a small hammer and lifting off the slabs of salt. Brush away any stray salt. Gently pull out dorsal (back) fin. Using a fish knife or serrated pie server, make a single incision all the way down the back of the fish and around the gill plate. Then lift the skin off working from the head to the tail. Remove meat from top side of fish, going down one side of the spine then the other. Grasp the tail and remove the skeleton, (it should come up intact). The meat revealed below will slide right off the skin.

We ended up with quite a plateful of tasty fish! I served rolls and vegetables with this but all I ended up eating was salmon!!

My Dad's Ribs

2008-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

My dad has legendary ribs. Seriously, they are the best ribs I have ever eaten. Before he gave me the recipe I used to beg him to make them for any special occasion. This is the second or third time I have made them on my own and I finally feel like I have mastered the recipe.

I bought some unmarked (as to type) ribs at the Grocery Outlet yesterday for $20. When I opened the package today I was pleased to find not two, as I suspected, but three racks of untrimmed spare ribs. I was in heaven! Only on two racks was there a membrane to remove on the underside. It's important to do this.

First, I made my dad's rub. It has pepper, chili powder, garlic, seasoning salt, and cayenne in it.

The middle kid took a couple of pictures for me while I rubbed the seasonings on the ribs.

Here they are, rubbed on both sides, in all of their glory:

Put them on a rack on a cookie sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Let them cook for four hours in a 250-degree oven.

During the last 45 minutes or so you will want to make the sauce. Start with some chili powder and salt in a pot.

Then dice up some onion fairly finely. You'll need about 2 cups of it.

Now, pour the strong coffee and Worcestershire sauce into the pot.

Next comes the apple cider vinegar and Jack Daniel whiskey.

Mince up lots of garlic for the sauce.

Add some brown sugar to the pot.

You can also put in some honey. I did. You can now either use chiles, diced, or one chipotle chile, diced finely.

Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for about a half hour or so, until it's reduced.

You don't have to, but it's great to blend the sauce so it's a smoother consistency.

Get the ribs out of the oven. Sweet heaven, these look amazing already!

Get those babies on the grill!

Put sauce on one side, let it cook for about 8 minutes or so, flip them over, put the rest of the sauce on them, and let them cook for another 8 minutes.

This, my friends, is beauty and all that is good in the world.

Here is my and my parents' gift to you. The recipe:

BBQ Sauce

1⁄2 cup Jack Daniels
1 cup strong black coffee
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
2 cups onions, chopped
1⁄4 cup minced hot peppers or 1⁄2 chipotle chile, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1⁄2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp. salt

Sauté the onions until soft in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the remainder of the ingredients. Simmer for about an hour. You can puree either before or after the cooking.

Rub

2 Tbsp. coarse black pepper
2 Tbsp. seasoning salt
2 Tbsp. mild chili powder
1 1⁄2 tsp. dried minced garlic
1⁄2 tsp. cayenne (or to taste)

Combine and rub on the ribs.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put ribs on a rack on a cookie sheet. Cover w/ aluminum foil and cook for 3 1⁄2 to 4 hours.

Brush the sauce on and broil or BBQ.

Tonkatsu Pork Chops and Soba Noodles

2008-09-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend as I was developing my meal plan I came across two recipes on allrecipes.com:

Tonkatsu Pork Chops and Soba Noodles with Toasted Sesame Seed Sauce.

So I decided to put these two together for a meal.

I'm not going to do the ingredient list since you can refer to the original recipes but I will say in lieu of broccoli florets and balsamic vinegar for the soba noodles I used red bell pepper and Chinese black vinegar. But I did take a photo of the ingredients! It was fairly involved...not difficult, per se, but involved.

Here is the dressing after the garlic was minced, the green onions sliced, and the other ingredients whisked together.

Boil the noodles for about 6 minutes then add the bell pepper for about 30 seconds or so. Put them into the bowl with the dressing. Then add the sesame seeds (I used toasted sesame seeds so I didn't have to toast them myself.)

Bonus pic of toddler, triumphant after adding the sesame seeds!

Toss everything together and make sure it's all incorporated.

Now, time for the pork chops. Whisk the egg mixture together with a fork.

Pour some panko crumbs into a container. (After this I was wondering why I didn't use panko all the time since they are delightful, crispy, and generally fantastic!)

Dip the pork chops into the egg mixture, then the panko, then the egg mixture, then the panko once more. Put them on a plate and let them rest for at least 10 minutes. I let these rest for probably close to 20 minutes.

So, of course, it's time for a cocktail. I bought some of this Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash at the store and it is just absolutely perfect with vodka!

Ahem. So, time to fry. And, really, one needs a cocktail if one is going to be slaving over a hot stove frying for a good portion of the evening...

Five minutes on each side...

...and then they are ready to serve! I put some Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce on the side for the pork chops. I cannot say enough good things about Mae Ploy. This stuff is fantastic with lumpia and it is also amazing with these pork chops. The texture on the panko-breaded pork chops is amazing. Trust me!

Chili and Cornbread

2008-09-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

This was a delicious chili and very simple to make.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of kidney beans
2 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
12 oz. jarred salsa
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 packet chili seasoning

Chop up your onions. Y'all know about planks and sticks, right? Halve an onion. Then cut 2-3 (or 4, if you want a fine dice) horizontal cuts, or "planks", in the onion. Don't cut it all the way to the stem, though.

Now, cut the "sticks": 3-4 (or more) vertical cuts. Once again, do not go all the way to the end.

Now cut so you have squares! Easy peasy, right?

Next, mince some garlic. I usually put the cloves on the cutting board and slice it but then go crazy with the knife cutting and cutting and cutting until it's the right size.

Put the 2 pounds of ground beef, minced garlic, and chopped onion into a pot. Heat it until the beef is cooked and the onion is soft.

Once they're cooked, start adding the rest of the ingredients. The order does not matter.

Stir it all up and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and let it simmer for an hour or so.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cornbread! We made the cornbread by hand but didn't take photos. I wasn't sure how it would turn out! It was not very sweet but it was fairly dense, which I actually like. It was pretty moist, too.

Japanese Chicken

2008-09-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

I was perusing recipes online today and came across this one called Japanese Mum's Chicken. I decided to make it since it sounded pretty good. There was one problem: the recipe called for balsamic vinegar. Balsamic??? Really??? I'm guessing balsamic is all she had in the house so that's what she used. Maybe she didn't have a good Asian market near her. I, however, do; I opted for Chinese black vinegar instead. It has a mild flavor and is really very good in this recipe.

Ingredients:
7 or 8 chicken drumsticks
1 cup water
1/2 cup black vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 garlic clove, mashed up a bit
1 hot pepper, split and seeds removed
I used half a jalapeño since I have kids who are sensitive to anything the least bit spicy.
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Put the chicken into a large pot. Next time, I think I'll use a low, wide pan.

Split the pepper, remove the seeds, and then mash the garlic.

Add the liquids into the pot.

Add the sugar to the pot.

Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Then, increase the heat and let the sauce thicken into a glaze.

I served this with a wild rice mix and edamame. It was delicious! Very mild and the kids loved it, too.

Quesadillas - Easy Peasy Dinner!

2008-09-05T20:20:00.001-07:00

Chicken and cheese quesadillas, refried beans, and corn.

This was so filling I couldn't eat all of it. Awesome!

$0.98 per Serving Dinner

2008-09-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Deluxe Mac & Cheese dinner mix
1 lb or so chopped chicken
3/4 bag of mixed vegetables
1 cup salsa
Oregano
Chili Powder

Sauté the chicken in a hot skillet. (Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a pot so you can cook the pasta and vegetables.)

Sometime during the process, add about a tablespoon chili powder and about a teaspoon or so of oregano. Whatever looks good to you. I'm a huge fan of eyeballing things.

Once the water is boiling add the pasta.

Add the vegetables right in the water with the pasta.

While the water is boiling and the chicken is finishing its cooking, make a cocktail. This time it's vodka with Crystal Light Tangerine Strawberry. Delicious!

Once the pasta is done, drain it. Add the drained pasta to the cooked chicken.

Squeeze out the cheese packet into the chicken, pasta, and vegetables. Mmmm...cheezzzzzz...

Now, add about a cup of salsa (type is not really important; you could use fresh even) and stir everything together so it's all incorporated.

Serve! I made some biscuits to go along with the dish.

Mac & Cheese: $1.25
Vegetables: $0.89 for the bag
Chicken: $1.75 (they were "trimmings")
Salsa: $1.00
Herbs - I don't count these in the cost since I already have them.

Total: $4.89 divided by 5 in our family = $0.98 each person!

White Turkey Chili

2008-09-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is a great thing to do with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. Since I made a turkey a couple of weeks ago I had turkey leftovers in...August! No matter, this was still a great dish to make and I can definitely see it becoming a regular turkey leftover dish.

White Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
* Olive oil
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 4 oz cans chopped green chiles
* 4 cups chopped cooked turkey
* 2 t. ground cumin
* 1 1/2 t. dried oregano, crumbled
* 1/4 t. cayenne or crushed red pepper (or to taste)
* 3 16 oz cans, great northern beans, undrained
* 5 cups chicken broth (I used homemade turkey broth)
* 1 cup grated Mexican cheese

Sauté the onions in olive oil until they are soft and translucent.

Add the garlic.

Now, add the spices.

Following the spices, add the green chiles (no need to drain).

Put your chopped turkey into the pot next and let everything warm up.

Now, add the beans. There's no need to drain them if they look all right. These organic beans were wonderful.

In goes the homemade turkey broth. Yum!

Stir everything together, bring to a boil, and then let simmer for about 2 hours or so uncovered.

After the 2 hours is up, add a cup of grated cheese.

Serve with cornbread (or whatever you want).

This was amazing! The kids all loved it. Everyone except for the toddler had seconds (she had seconds of cornbread). But she did love the chili and kept making happy "yummy nummy" noises!

Smoked Sausage Casserole

2008-09-02T20:01:00.001-07:00

Smoked Sausage (not Kielbasa, but you can use that) Casserole

Begin with a pound of smoked sausage and two onions, everything sliced thinly.

Drain a 24 oz. jar of sauerkraut.

You will also need 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

Put the onions and the sausage in a skillet to cook. I added about a tablespoon of oil.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Layer the bottom of a casserole dish with half of the sauerkraut.

The sausages and the onions are now softened.

Put half of the sausage/onion mixture on top of the sauerkraut.

Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar.

Repeat the layering and then cook, covered, in the oven for one hour.

If this isn't comfort food, I don't know what is! I'll definitely have to put this into regular rotation. 4/5 of the family loved it.

Photos

2008-09-01T20:53:00.001-07:00

Why is it when I use html to insert photos from, say, Photobucket, the right edge is cut off? I find myself trying to accommodate for this in my photography but that's really lame.

ETA: I fixed it by changing the template! Yay!

Crab Lasagna Roll-Ups, Version 1

2008-09-01T20:43:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
12 Lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled
Alfredo sauce (you can use jarred or use your own)
2 4 oz. cans of crab (Trader Joe's is really the best, or use fresh)
Thyme
Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper
Parmesan
2 eggs
16 oz. small curd cottage cheese

First, (not pictured) drain the crab and sort through the meat to make sure there aren't any pieces of shell or other foreign objects.

Next, put the cottage cheese into a mixing bowl.

Add the two eggs.

Sprinkle in 1/4 cup or parmesan. I used the canned stuff but you can also use freshly grated.

Now add one tablespoon of Italian seasoning.

Next comes 1/2 teaspoon of thyme...

...and follow that with about 1/4 teaspoon (give or take) of garlic powder.

Add salt and pepper.

Then mix it all up until everything is incorporated.

Add the picked through crab.

Now stir that up until the crab is mixed in thoroughly.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Lay out a noodle, put about 1/4 cup of the crab mixture on the noodle, and roll it up. Lay it seam-side down in the pan.

Keep going until you have a panful. You could probably make more to fit into this pan but I already had noodles cooked (I had frozen them) so I wasn't going to cook any more tonight.

If you have excess crab mixture you can sprinkle it on top.

Now, pour the alfredo sauce onto the roll-ups, making sure to coat the tops of each one.

They look good, don't they? Too bad they have to cook...

Cover the pan with foil and make sure not to cut yourself! I did (my pinkie) and I was going to show you the photo but thought better of it. Anyway, put them into a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Serve with a caesar salad and a roll or bread.

This was pretty good. I think next time I'll incorporate either provolone or mozzarella cheese into the mixture. I think it needed to be more gooey. The Italian seasoning was a tad bit too much so using a scant tablespoon would probably be a good idea. I liked the alfredo sauce with it; it made it rich and delicious!

Turkey Soup

2008-08-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

I saved the uncooked turkey neck and all of the bones from the turkey I cooked on Sunday. Today I had my sous chef, Alex, make the stock while I was at work. He put the bones and neck into a big stock pot. He added half an onion, cut into slices, some celery (the tops of the bunch), and the tops and bottoms of some carrots. He also added a couple of tablespoons of peppercorns (cracked), a couple of hefty pinches of kosher salt, and a palmful of dried parsley flakes. He brought it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 5 hours.

Prior to my getting home he cut some vegetables and had my apprentice photographer, Baxter, take some pictures.

Vegetables for the soup included onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots.

Once I got home, we started the soup making process. We first drained the stock through a colander.

Then we drained it through a sieve. We actually did this twice.

I received a great tip from my friend to add the contents of a gravy packet and a can of turkey gravy. This made the soup incredibly tasty. I was worried about sodium content but since I had so much stock it was a good flavoring without tasting like you were eating gravy and vegetables.

I stirred the pot and then added the vegetables my sous chef cut up previously.

Now, add cut up turkey. This is about 4-5 cups of turkey I cut up Sunday night.

Stir everything to incorporate all the ingredients and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes or so.

After the vegetables have simmered, add pasta. Or not. I like egg noodles in my turkey soup!

Just before serving, add a tablespoon or so of worcestershire sauce. It adds amazing depth of flavor!

Now, serve! This soup was the most amazing turkey soup I have ever made.

Spaghetti with Veal

2008-08-26T19:32:00.001-07:00

Spaghetti with ground veal, broccoli, and Texas toast. I used Fred Meyer's generic spaghetti sauce and it was actually pretty darned good!

Casserole from Leftover Turkey

2008-08-25T20:27:00.001-07:00

Company Turkey Casserole

Recipe by Hillbilly Housewife.

This was all right. The noodles got very mushy. I did alter the recipe; I put turkey gravy in the crockpot instead of chicken broth. This was tasty but I definitely would not serve it to "company".

Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner

2008-08-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yum!

It was raining today, so cooking a turkey was not too bad. It made the house a bit muggy but that's okay. It's worth it!

We had the turkey dinner pictured above tonight. Tomorrow night we're having a casserole made in the crockpot with leftover turkey. On Tuesday we'll have turkey soup with homemade turkey stock. I have about 4 more cups of turkey meat to use for a different occasion. I also have a quart-sized freezer bag full of mashed potatoes. I have heard that mashed potatoes are great in soup but I have never tried it.

About a month or so I came across a great frugal tip. Whenever you have something left after dinner that may not be a full serving, put it in a freezer bag or container anyway. I've got one going for vegetables that has corn, broccoli, and peas in it. I figure it'd be great for pasta or for soup.

The only bad thing about making a turkey dinner is the clean-up afterwards. It's a major pain. But it's still worth doing once a quarter or so.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

2008-08-22T19:30:00.001-07:00

Pasta with Safeway's vodka sauce (vodka is a theme tonight) and broccoli.

This is yummy. It's also the second meatless dish we've had this week. The vodka sauce is much better without meat than it is with meat.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

2008-08-21T20:59:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 pound hot Italian sausage (this was pretty spicy; you should probably use half hot, half mild or just mild)
4 cups of cabbage, shredded
2 cups of cooked brown rice
2 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Put the sausage and onion into a frying pan.

Cook it up until the sausage and onion are fully cooked.

Add the cooked rice. I used brown for better nutrition.

Then, add the cabbage. I used slightly over four cups. It's a rough measurement.

Stir it all up so everything is incorporated.

Mix the remaining ingredients (tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, seasoning salt, brown sugar, and pepper).

Put the meat-cabbage-rice mixture into a casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 350.

Pour the tomato sauce mixture over the top of the meat-cabbage-rice mixture.

Cook for about an hour.

Stir prior to serving.

Like I said, this was pretty spicy using only hot Italian sausage. If I make it for the kids I will only use mild. They would never eat this but I thought it was pretty good.

Ravioli and Vegetables

2008-08-20T20:04:00.001-07:00

Ravioli and Vegetables with Texas Toast

Also, meatless Wednesday!

This was very simple and although I made it to use up ravioli leftover from a Costco bag (and that has been in my freezer for a long time) next time it would be better to use smaller ravioli. Even tortellini would be excellent with this. Basically you boil a big pot of water, add the vegetables and ravioli; cook until done. Then you add about 1/4 cup of butter or margarine and stir until melted and everything's coated. Then I added about a teaspoon or so of Mrs. Dash but I'm sure you can use any seasoning you have on hand. I followed that by about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Stir everything gently so as not to disturb too much and there you go.

Easy peasy, which is exactly what I needed on this rainy summer night.

Crumb Coated Chicken Thighs

2008-08-19T20:28:00.001-07:00

Crumb-Coated Chicken Thighs, Stove Top Stuffing, and corn.

I used matzo meal instead of bread crumbs and this was fantastic. Here is the recipe as from allrecipes.com:

Crumb-Coated Chicken Thighs

INGREDIENTS

* 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 8 (5 ounce) chicken thighs, skin removed

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first seven ingredients. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. Place on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Turn chicken pieces; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees F.

I used about triple the crumbs, half the cumin (personal taste), half the paprika (because I have intense smoky paprika and not the McCormick's stuff - not that there's anything wrong with that), and then 7 chicken thighs with skin on. This was a definite success and I'll be making it again. I've been really pleased with my chicken lately!

Hot Dogs!

2008-08-18T19:56:00.001-07:00

Two Reduced Fat Hebrew National hot dogs (with mustard, kraut, and Wickles' pickle relish), tater tots, and cucumber slices.

Yum!!

Au Gratin Potatoes

2008-08-17T18:51:00.001-07:00

Variations on a theme...

Au gratin potatoes with smoked sausage and edamame. I'm sure the protein was boosted with the edamame. It was actually pretty good. Snappier than the peas I used previously!

I also noticed that when I cook this in a 2 quart casserole dish it comes out very watery and yucky. I had to transfer it into a 9x13 pan in order to get the sauce to the correct consistency. Good to know for the future.

Lemon and Oregano Chicken

2008-08-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

This chicken was amazing...! Here's what I did. I made a marinade first (put everything right into a Ziploc bag).

Lemon rind from one whole lemon
Two pinches of kosher salt
Two tablespoons olive oil
About one tablespoon of oregano
Juice from one lemon
A good amount of freshly ground white pepper
About 1/4 cup of white wine (I used viognier)

Mash it all up in the Ziploc bag. Add the chicken. I added two breasts (with rib section) and three bone-in thighs. Let it marinate for about an hour. Due to the lemon juice, you really don't want to let it go over night or for the whole day, I don't think. Heat up your BBQ nice and hot and grill the chicken as you normally would.

This chicken was easily the best chicken I have made for a very long time. I paired it with two easy things: Herb & Butter Rice-a-Roni and some mixed vegetables. Lovely!

Scramble!

2008-08-13T21:02:00.001-07:00

Breakfast for Dinner!

Ingredients:

Eggs
Breakfast Sausages
Bell Pepper
Onion
Zucchini
Cheese

I had a lot of vegetables in my refrigerator that needed to be consumed. Cut the veggies up into a medium dice or bite sized pieces. I cut the chicken breakfast sausages into quarters. Because I used lean chicken sausages I had to add a bit of olive oil to the pan prior to adding the onions, bell pepper, and breakfast sausages.

While those are sautéing until they're soft (and cooked, in the case of the sausage), break your eggs into a bowl for whisking.

After the bell peppers and onions are soft and the sausages are mostly cooked, go ahead and add the zucchini.

I got inspired and added some Italian seasoning.

Once everything is nice and soft and a lot of the water has evaporated, add the beaten eggs.

Stir everything around and scramble the eggs.

Add a couple handfuls of shredded cheese (about a cup).

And you're done! You have an Atkins-approved meal! It might be South Beach approved if you use lowfat cheese. It was very yummy. As you can see above, I put some pico de gallo on top of mine.

Chicken Casserole with Stuffing

2008-08-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

An American Classic!

Ingredients:
Chicken tenders (about a pound)
Cream of mushroom soup
Mixed vegetables
Half-dead mushrooms ;) (optional)
Stove Top Stuffing
Sour cream

Pour the stuffing into a bowl.

Next, poor 1 1/2 cups water into the bowl and mix the stuffing. Set aside while you do the rest of the work.

I had some mushrooms in the fridge that needed to get eaten pronto so I sliced them up.

I also happened to have about 1/3 cup of sour cream. I bet you can make this even without the sour cream.

Pour the cream of mushroom soup into the sour cream and mix together.

Cut the chicken tenders into bite-sized pieces and put in a 2 quart casserole dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray.

Add the soup mixture.

Mushrooms want to go into the party!

Then I added about 2 cups of mixed vegetables.

Mix all of that up.

Finally, top it with the stuffing. I cooked mine in a 375-degree oven for about 50 minutes. Make sure your chicken is done.

When it comes out it's kind of crispy and beautiful!

Dig in!