Like

Well, short of a recipe, we might as well talk food. I have racked up quite a few "likes" lately, so I'll share here:



This yogurt tastes pretty dang heavenly. It is made with whole milk (yay!) and the coconut flavor is...yum! (I can only find at Kroger, however.)

 It's actually a little sweet so I add a couple tablespoons of regular greek whole milk yogurt to bring back the tang.

I admit I eat it for lunch almost every day. 

And I add these yummy little nibbles of fruit and nut for a little crunch. Yum!

I prefer the blueberry, but the strawberry is yummy, too.

When I'm not eating yogurt and crunchy fruit and nut nibblets for lunch I'm eating fresh sprouts.

My oldest son bought me this clever gadget for my birthday.

I can start new sprouts every day and have them just when I want them. So far, I have only grown alfalfa sprouts, because they are my favorite, but I want to try some mung bean for stir fries.

This was my first batch. 

And my favorite way to eat them is on a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese, out on the deck. With a pickle on the side. Total yum!

I guess I should have titled this post "Yum!"

An Italian Feast Day meal

I had a heart-to-heart with myself recently. I had to decide whether or not I was going to keep using this space, because  I was still taking photos of food and making mental notes about recipes, but after a day my mental notes were gone, and sometimes I even lost track of the recipe. Not very organized, I know. But every meal I made would result in the same internal battle about whether or not I want to continue writing in this space.

Ultimately, I decided to keep it up. I love cooking, and I love integrating food into the liturgical year, so that is what I hope to continue doing.

Today is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. I tend to tie my meals together with the feast day with ethnic food, because it's easy and it's fun. I have to make dinner anyway, so I'm really not adding anything extra to my workload.

Today's saint, St. Anthony of Padua, is one of my favorite saints. My oldest son chose him as his patron, and he is one of the saints I call on most often --"Tony, Tony come around..." That poor man never has a moment's peace. Padua is in Italy and so tonight's feast was Italian. You could use this menu for any Italian saint, however, and there are many.

The pasta dish was one I had pinned a couple months ago to "test drive" for my second son who will be living alone next year. It was so simple and delicious -- clean plates all around.

The vegetable is a seasonal sort of treat. My friend Katie (my egg lady) sent some zucchini and garlic scapes along with my eggs this week. I had never cooked garlic scapes, but they were very tasty, and I'll definitely try them again.

With a loaf of ciabatta garlic bread (purchased), the meal was complete, and so easy.

Skillet Baked Ziti

1 T. olive oil

1 T. minced garlic

1 t. dried red chili flakes

 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

3 T. dried basil

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 cups uncooked penne or ziti

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella
1-2 T. sliced fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.

Add garlic and red chili flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt; reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes break down a bit.

Add the broth and dried basil and return to a simmer. Add pasta and cover; cook according to package directions for just firm (12-15 minutes).

Remove lid, season with salt and pepper, and stir in Parmesan. Sprinkle mozzarella over top of pasta.

Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 8-10 minutes.

Sprinkle with basil and serve hot.

(If you are using a pan that has a plastic handle, cover handle with foil before placing it in the oven)

Source: modified from Serious Eats via College East 101

Zucchini and Garlic Scapes

1 T. coconut oil or unsalted butter

2 medium zucchini washed and sliced about 1/4 inch thick

6 garlic scapes, rinsed and cut in half or three pieces

salt

Heat oil or butter in large skillet over medium high until hot.

Add zucchini and scapes and cook for about 20 minutes, flipping zucchini to brown both sides.

Season with salt and serve hot.

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Mashed Peas

No, we haven't started eating baby food, but this would be a great recipe for an older baby, one that has started to eat yogurt and cheese. This recipe is great comfort food, however. I saw Nigella make it one evening when I was watching my store of dvr'd cooking shows. I like Nigella (although sometimes her drama gets a little old), and she is one of the few TV chefs whose recipes I actually use. There is only one of her recipes that I didn't like and it was the fault of the hard cider I used to make it (at least I think it was).

Last week Faith and I found ourselves alone for Friday night supper, with the menfolk out for Friday night football. We decided to cook these mashed peas for ourselves to go along with salmon patties and oven fried potatoes. They were really, really good and both of us were sad that we only had one serving (the recipe is really written for one person, but is very doable for more than one, and I have rewritten it for serving to a family (and using the whole bag of frozen peas). I omitted the mint in the recipe because I only had fresh (in the garden) and, frankly, I was too lazy to head out and cut some (that's pretty lazy isn't it?). I also used Greek yogurt because creme fraiche is not available to me.

This recipe would be great with almost any meat, but I imagine it would be fantastic with some braised beef or lamb. Yum.

Note: you do need a food processor for this recipe.

Mashed Peas

2 cloves garlic

salt

12 oz. bag frozen peas

3 -4 T. creme fraiche (or Greek yogurt or sour cream)

3 - 4 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried mint

Fill a medium pan with cold water and throw in the whole cloves of garlic. Bring to the boil and then add salt and the peas. Cook until tender, drain, and put into a food processor, or blender, and add the creme fraiche, cheese, and dried mint. Puree the peas until "knobbly" (roughly mashed with a little texture remaining) and check the seasoning, adding salt if you need to. Serve immediately or spoon back into the pan to keep warm (they get cool pretty fast).

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Source: modified from Nigella Lawson

Asparagus Risotto

I am linking up with Pam and Sarah again, for Making it Count.

As Sarah mentioned in her post, the Internet is a great place to go to find recipes. I would hate to be a cookbook publisher these days, because, frankly, I almost never go to a cookbook for a recipe anymore.

I have mentioned several times already that I am doing a trial of wheat-free eating, just to see if I feel better -- fewer aches and pains and more energy. Unfortunately I have not seen (felt) any results yet, so it's a little frustrating to keep it up. But, I'll give it a couple more weeks before I hang it up. I think, as of today, I am going to go oat-free as well.

There is nothing like giving up a main staple in my diet to get me up off my rump and hunting for new recipes. I find it especially hard at breakfast to find an alternative, but dinner, too. I really rely on good homemade bread to supplement our meals around here.

Besides potatoes, especially mashed, there are a couple of side dishes my family really enjoys -- polenta and risotto. We usually eat polenta with sauce, but risotto is good with grilled summer food. Actually I could eat it as a main dish, but my guys are meat-eaters, so it's relegated to a side dish. This week I had a hankerin' for some asparagus, so I looked for a basic risotto recipe that contained asparagus. This recipe was really, really good. In fact, after I added it to the menu and bought the ingredients, I had a risotto dish for dinner at a local Italian restaurant when I went out with a friend. It was a risotto with roast chicken, carmelized onions, and broccolini. It was good, but this risotto from Simply Recipes was waaay better. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it was so good.  I was planning to add frozen green peas to it as well, but when one kid started making noises about the asparagus, I decided I better not push my luck. At least the asparagus pieces were large enough to pick out. The only change I made was to substitute red onion and two cloves of garlic for the shallots because the grocer was out of shallots.

And by the way, except for cutting the onion and asparagus, my 10-year-old daughter made this dish. If she can do it, you can do it!

Asparagus Risotto

4-6 side servings

2 T. unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup chopped shallots (or 1/2 cup chopped red onion and two minced garlic cloves)

1 cup arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine 

About 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut in 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

(If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free stock.)

In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a minute or two, until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

Add the wine to the rice. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of hot stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20-25 minutes. 

With the last ladle of stock, add the asparagus. Turn off the heat.

Note the stock amount given is approximate. You may need a little more or less. If you end up needing more stock and you find yourself without, just use water.

Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

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Mongolian Beef and Sesame Green Beans

This recipe has become a regular at our dinner table. It's easy -- you can easily put it together in under 30 minutes, in less time than it takes for the rice to cook  -- and the flavors are a winner with all my family. The recipe is modified from Cooking Light.

The Sesame Green Beans are a recipe I have been making for years. I first ate them at my friend Gina's house and all my kids eat them. They are a great side with the Mongolian Beef and steamed white rice.

Mongolian Beef

serves 4-6

2 T lower-sodium soy sauce

1 t sugar 

1 t cornstarch

2 t dry sherry

2 t hoisin sauce

1 t rice vinegar

1 t chile paste with garlic (I use Sriracha)

1/4 t salt

2 T vegetable or peanut oil

1 T minced peeled fresh ginger

1 T minced fresh garlic

1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain 

8 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces 

Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; sauté for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Serve over white or brown rice.

Sesame Green Beans

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed and washed

1 T. vegetable oil

1 t. sesame oil

1 t. sesame seeds

1/2 t crushed red pepper

salt to taste

Cook green beans in hot water until just tender (or if you are using a rice cooker with a veggie basket use that - that's what I do). Drain and set aside until serving time.

Just a few moments before serving time, heat vegetable oil in a skillet. Add beans and cook on high heat for several minutes tossing a few times. Add sesame seeds and crushed red pepper. Drizzle with sesame oil and salt to taste.

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Rumbi Rice

We had a very fast spring break last week -- it seemed like I blinked and it was over, and now we are having re-entry. It's so much harder to get into life after a break -- it makes me wonder if it's worth it...but the free time is so wonderful.

I have a backlog of recipes to share with you here. This one was a big hit, which is rather odd since it is veggie-packed. I saw the recipe at a new-to-me favorite website "Favorite Family Recipes." It's called Rumbi Rice and is apparently a popular dish at a popular restaurant in Utah. I've never been to Utah, and thus not the restaurant, but it just looked like a yummy dish with a funny name. 

I made it exactly as directed, using my rice cooker for the rice (good rice), except when it came to the Hawaiian sauce (Mr. Yoshida's). This sauce is an unknown in my neck of the woods, so I used Kikkoman which was super duper salty. I used the Hawaiian sauce sparingly, but the kids and my husband did not, and they had a hard time finishing their meals. I would highly recommend making a homemade teriyaki if you are not able to get a low-salt version, or using the sauce very sparingly. Oh...and I left out the celery (reluctantly) because of my celery haters.

And, by the way, I think it would be just as good without the chicken. My family disagrees.

This served my five with leftovers.

Rumbi Rice

1 T. vegetable oil

4 carrots, peeled and grated

3 celery stalks, washed and sliced

1 zucchini, chopped into small cubes

1 1/2 c. chopped broccoli florets

2 c. chicken, grilled and cut into small cubes

*Rumbi Rice (see recipe below)

**Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce (see recipe below)

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, zucchini, and broccoli (pretty much equal parts of said vegetables.. you can add more or less veggies depending on your taste). Saute ONLY until vegetables are crisp tender. About 1-2 minutes tops.

Serve over Rumbi rice and top with chicken. Serve with Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce on the side (about 3 Tbsp. per bowl.. you can add more or less depending on your taste).

*Hawaiian Coconut Rice with Red Beans (aka Rumbi Rice)
2 c. long grain white rice
2 1/2 c. water
1 (14oz) can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 c.)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker. Gently stir it all together so the beans are all mixed. Place the lid on and start the rice cooker. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.
If you don’t have a rice cooker… Combine water, coconut milk, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir in rice and beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender. 

**Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce:
3/4 c. Mr. Yoshida’s teriyaki sauce
1 t. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (Sriracha)
1 tsp. fresh ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. cold water

Combine Yoshida’s, soy sauce, garlic sauce, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water and SLOWLY add to sauce for thickening. You want it to be slightly thicker than the Yoshida’s sauce. Allow to simmer for about a minute. Cool to room temperature and serve with your rice bowls.

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Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

It's not often that I come across a vegetable recipe that my family raves about. Most nights I have to nag my kids, "Eat your vegetable or your guts will rot out." They laugh, and eat one kernel of corn, and then I deny dessert, and then they come back when I am tired and eat cold cereal. It's an endless battle.

But these green beans...these green beans...they won! They made them eat green beans. Yey!

I am trying not to make them every week because I think they might catch on to my tactic, but they are so very good I want to eat them every week.

The recipe came from Abby at Confabulation in the Kitchen and I made them just as written (except I doubled the sauce). I was a little confused by the ingredient "chili sauce." I was pretty sure Abby didn't mean Heinz Chili Sauce, and so I used Sriracha. I think you could also use Asian Sweet Chili Sauce (also Tabasco makes a new sweet Asian hot sauce) -- it might be better for little guys because the Sriracha is pretty spicy.

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

serves 4-6 side servings

3/4 pound fresh or frozen green beans
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. chili sauce
1 t. honey
2 t. olive oil


Bring large pot of water to a boil. Steam beans 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine garlic, soy sauce, chili sauce and honey.

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add beans and saute, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour sauce over beans and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until liquid is mostly cooked away (if you double the sauce you will have liquid left). Serve hot.

Summer Supper #6

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This is the kind of dish I would order from any restaurant menu. I love summer vegetables, and if you pair them with bacon for flavor and pasta for a little filler, they make a great summer supper dish. I saw this recipe at MyRecipes.com, but switched it up a little in terms of pasta shape and variety of summer vegetable. You could really use a multitude of vegetables for this recipes -- whatever is growing in the garden, available at the farm market, or just needs to be used from the veggie drawer of the fridge.

All the kids enjoyed this dish (much to my surprise) and I can't wait to try it again. I modified the recipe to my taste, but feel free to substitute the veggies for what's available to you. I could not find cavatappi at my store, so I used Roman Rigatoni ( a curved variety of rigatoni) but would look for cavatappi in the future -- I love that shape.

Pasta with Bacon and Summer Vegetables

serves 4-6

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1 lb. uncooked cavatappi 

8 slices bacon, chopped 

2 T.  olive oil 

1 cup chopped red or green onion

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 

3/4 cup yellow pepper, sliced thin and cut in bite-size sticks

1 cup edamame

1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed and strings removed

1 1/2 cups quartered grape tomatoes

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese (or up to 1 cup, to taste)

1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves 

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving drippings in pan; add oil to drippings. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini and peppers; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in edamame, tomatoes, and sugar snaps; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally. 

Add hot pasta to vegetable mixture; toss. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup cheese, basil, salt, and pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Source: modified from myrecipes.com

Serving suggestion: Serve with some crusty bread and a bowl of fresh fruit salad, or served with some grilled chicken breast for a heartier meal.

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Summer Supper #1

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After my recent post about summer cooking I decided to take a look at the dishes I prepare in the summer, and find a way to make over the dishes we enjoy, making them simple to prepare on these hot summer days. I will share with you all the (successful) meals I makeover and hopefully we'll all have a cool, laborless summer of good eats.

It's just the first week of June and already the temps are in the mid 90s, so I not only don't feel like cooking, but I hardly feel like eating. I had a recipe for a Balsamic Steak I wanted to try, however, and I chose some other simple sides that made a quick and yummy meal. I altered the steak recipe to throw it on the grill and added a simple salad and Camp Potatoes for a yummy, super simple supper . Everything that is cooked goes on the grill and it took no longer than five minutes to prep any item.

Though I have listed exact ingredients and preparation methods, these are such simple recipes they can be enjoyed the way you like them. Add some other veggies to the salad if you like, or some Blue Cheese sprinkles for a little extra tang, or some croutons for crunch. And add whatever spices you like to the potatoes -- paprika is nice and mild, cayenne gives them a nice kick, or thyme is wonderful to go with some grilled chicken.

The skirt steak is a very tender cut -- I really prefer it over flank, but my grocer only had flat iron when I was there -- also a really great tender cut.

Balsamic Steak and Salad with Camp Potatoes

serves 4-6

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Steak:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

 1 T. Worcestershire sauce

 2 t. dark brown sugar

 1 garlic clove, minced

 1-2 pound skirt steak (I used a 1.5 pound flat iron)

 1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak, turning to coat; seal and marinate at room temperature 25 minutes, turning once (or for several hours in the fridge). Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.

Preheat grill. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Add steak to grill and turn down to medium low; cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan and cover with foil; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices and serve next to or on top of salad.

Salad:

2 heads romaine lettuce, cut and washed

several thin slices red onion, quartered

2 Roma tomatoes washed and halved and sliced thinly

Dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t. kosher salt
3 T. white balsamic vinegar
3 T. olive oil oil
1/8 t. black pepper

Place lettuce, tomatoes and onion in a salad bowl.
Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar.
Shake for a minute to completely blend. Toss salad just before serving.

Camp Potatoes 

serves 4-6

4 to 5 large Idaho potatoes, washed and sliced thin

1/4 red or Vidalia onion, sliced thin and quartered

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

several teaspoons of melted butter (optional)

sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

Preheat grill.

Spread a large sheet of aluminum foil on your work space (or smaller sheets for individual servings).

Drizzle with a teaspoon or so of oil.

Place a layer of potatoes (about half) on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with half the onions and the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the remaining onions. Drizzle with several teaspoons of oil. Fold up top and sides of foil to make a sealed packet.

Place on grill and cook on low for 40 to 50 minutes. Check potatoes to see if they are fork tender (the ones on the bottom will get a lot of color, but that's o.k.)

Remove from packet (or serve from the packet for really easy clean up). Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. Drizzle with melted butter and/or cheese for extra yum.

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Jazzy Carrot Salad

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I am always looking for something new to do with carrots. My children love carrots, preferably uncooked, but carrot sticks and ranch dressing get tiresome pretty fast for this old mama. The other night I decided at the last minute to make a carrot salad, and it was very tasty, and different from what we would normally eat with dinner. It's much like an old-fashioned carrot salad, but I don't like all that mayonnaise in an old-fashioned carrot salad. With Craisins instead of raisins, a dash of orange juice, and a mix of yogurt and mayo, I think it was pretty jazzy.

I used the julienne attachment on my Cuisinart to cut the carrots, and this tool would come in handy also, though not quite as fast. But, if you don't have either, shredded carrot would work, I just happen to like the thicker bit of carrot. You could use chopped nuts instead of sunflower seeds, but we have allergies in our house and the sunflower adds a bit of nutty flavor. If you don't have an orange, but you have some good juice, just skip the zest. By the way, don't skip the salt and pepper -- it really needs it.

Jazzy Carrot Salad

serves 6 to 8 small salad servings

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3-4 cups of julienne carrots (the lesser quantity if you shred instead of julienne because it compacts more)

2 T. orange juice

1 t. orange zest (optional)

3/4 c. plain yogurt

1/4 c. mayonnaise (I used light)

2 T. honey

2 T. Craisins (or raisins)

2 T. sunflower seeds

salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium bowl, toss carrots with orange juice. In a small bowl, stir yogurt, mayo and honey together. Pour over carrots and stir. Add Craisins, sunflower seeds and a dash of salt and pepper. Toss and taste. Adjust salt and pepper and honey to taste.

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Rosemary Balsamic Chicken

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I apologize for my picture -- the ravioli is in focus, but the chicken, not so much.

Last week, on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, my family celebrated the day with a lovely dinner of Rosemary Chicken -- rosemary for Our Blessed Mother. There is a legend about the rosemary plant -- "The rosemary bush gave shelter to the Holy Family during the flight into Egypt. It is told that Mary hung the linens of the Holy Child on the rosemary bush to dry, and afterwards it became aromatic and evergreen, with little blue flowers springing up from its branches" (The Mary Page).

I love the flavor of rosemary and chicken, and the balsamic vinegar mingled with the flavors wonderfully. I used a recipe from Rachel Ray that was simple and quick (as she always promises). I don't use a lot of Rachel Ray recipes, but I should try them more often because they usually pan out pretty well. I used her entire menu shown with this recipe, though I altered the Spinach salad a little. 

Rosemary Chicken with Balsamic Browned Butter Ravioli and Spinach Salad

serves 5-6

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4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 to 8 ounces each
2 T. balsamic vinegar, just enough to coat chicken lightly
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

3 stems rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped, about 2 tablespoons

Salt and coarse black pepper

4 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin with a whack against the flat of your knife

1 package, 12 to 16 ounces, fresh ravioli, any flavor filling (I used 1# frozen)

3 T. butter, cut into small pieces

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls(I omitted)

3 slices bacon, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 t. sugar

2 T. balsamic vinegar, eyeball it

1 bunch, about 10 ounces flat-leaf spinach, rinsed and spun dry

1/2 cup cleaned and thinly sliced mushrooms 

Salt and pepper

 Chicken:

Coat chicken in balsamic vinegar, then olive oil. Season chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper and let stand 10 minutes. 

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and cracked garlic to the pan. Cook chicken 12 minutes, or until juices run clear, turning occasionally. The balsamic vinegar will produce a deep brown, sweet finish on the chicken as it cooks.

Remove chicken from the first skillet and transfer to a warm platter until all the dishes are done. Slice chicken crosswise and serve along side ravioli and spinach salad, all on the same dinner plate.

Ravioli:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for ravioli. Salt water and drop ravioli in water. 

Cook 8 minutes or until raviolis expand, float to top of water, and are al dente. 

When the chicken is 2 or 3 minutes away from done, heat a second skillet over medium low to medium heat. To the second skillet, add butter to the pan and let it begin to brown (watch it closely or in a second it will go from browned to burned). When the butter for the ravioli has browned, add cooked ravioli to the pan and turn in butter to heat through. Add balsamic vinegar to the ravioli and cook a minute or 2 longer to reduce the vinegar and glaze the ravioli. Add cheese, parsley, salt and pepper to the pasta and remove the pan from the heat.

  Salad:

While chicken is cooking, in a skillet over medium high heat, cook the bacon. Brown the bacon bits, about 4-5 minutes. Reducing heat to medium. Remove bacon and add onions to the pan and let the onions saute 2 minutes. Add sugar and cook sugar with onions 1 minute. Add vinegar to the pan, scraping up pan drippings. Add dressing to the spinach in a large bowl and turn to wilt and coat it evenly. Add bacon and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Modified from the Food Network

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Growing Your Own Sprouts

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We have been growing sprouts in our house this week and it's so easy to do, I have to share. Sprouts are really very good for you, but because of past recalls on sprouts, usually due to e coli, I do not buy sprouts at the grocery store. I don't even like to eat them out for them same reason. But they are so tasty and nutritious, it's a shame to miss out on them entirely.

After doing a homeschool science experiment with my daughter recently (we grew lentil sprouts) I researched growing sprouts and discovered how easy they are to grow on your own. Because they are grown indoors, without any soil at all, they are the perfect garden vegetable for me!

You can do your own research (I read this article and then this one), but I don't think it's a complicated thing. The most important thing to remember is to rinse them twice a day so that you don't grown any bacteria along with your sprouts. And also make certain that you drain the sprouts really well, or some of them will rot instead of grow. Keep them out of direct sunlight, but near a window where they can get some indirect light.

Most of the directions I found recommended using quart size jars, but I don't have any quart size Mason jars. I just used pint jars with less seed and my instructions are for the pint jars. I bought my seed at a local health food store and I would recommend that route if you have a local source. You can also find them online, but you might have to buy a large quantity. I was able to purchase just a fraction of a pound of both alfalfa seeds and radish seeds, so I had minimal investment and I knew they would stay fresh at least for a short time. You can try different seeds, and even beans, like lentils or mung beans -- whatever you like best.

Growing Sprouts

1 pint Mason jar for each type seed and the lid

1 square double thickness cheesecloth for each jar

1 scant tablespoon seed for each jar

Make certain Mason jar is impeccably clean before you start. Place seed and about a quarter jar of cold water in jar and cover with cheesecloth square. Screw on the ring only, but keep the lid nearby because you'll need it when the sprouts are done growing.

Let seed sit overnight, or for 8-10 hours. In the morning (or after 8-10 hours) pour water out through cheesecloth and fill the jar with cold water again, and then let it all drain out. You'll just have wet seed left in the jar. Make sure you drain them well. 

For six days rinse the seeds twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. After about one day you'll see the seeds start to sprout and by about day six you should have fully sprouted seeds. When spouts have green leaves they are done. 

 

Rinse them one last time and replace the cheesecloth square with the metal lid and refrigerate sprouts until ready to eat. Keep refrigerated.

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Fried Cabbage

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I love cabbage. I know some people don't like the smell of it cooking, and some folks don't like the after-affects (my husband has a problem with cabbage for this reason), but I love the taste, and it's nutritious and cheap. As a result, I am always on the lookout for new ways to serve cabbage as a side dish. This recipe could not have been easier, with a total of four ingredients. And with one of those ingredients being bacon -- yum. I bet you could add a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar mixed 2:1 with sugar at the very end and get a great sweet sour cabbage. I'll try that next time and let you know what I think. In the meantime, try it plain and simple with bacon and I bet you'll love it. I think St. Patrick's Day would be a great time to give it a go.

Note: I used half a head of cabbage and it easily served six. If your crowd really loves cabbage go for the whole head.

Fried Cabbage

serves 6

Printer version

4  bacon slices

1  large head fresh cabbage, coarsely chopped (or a half for smaller portions)

1 t.salt

1 t.  pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.

Add cabbage to hot drippings in skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté cabbage over medium-high heat 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with bacon.

Serving suggestion: Especially yummy with some Beer-Braised Bratwurst  (grilled or not) and mashed potatoes

Source: myrecipes.com

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Thanksgiving Postmortem

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I've been up a few hours this morning stressing the next big food event -- our 25/50 party tomorrow, but for a moment I want to talk about Thanksgiving.

I hope that you had an enjoyable one.

I hope that you were able to truly appreciate your family, or friends, whomever you decided to spend your holiday.

I hope you gave thanks to Our Father who makes all things possible.

About the food: I hope your turkey was moist and tasty. Mine most definitely was. It was also done early, God bless him. And because I roasted it breast side down again, it was perfectly cooked, soooo moist and very tasty. I will never roast a bird right side up again. Ever.

Alright then, good gravy. My mom is in charge of gravy, usually because gravy needs attention, and when you're trying to get eight other dishes on the table, you can't babysit gravy. The gravy was yummy (it always is) due to yummy drippings. I place 14 oz of turkey broth and 14 oz of vegetable broth in the bottom of the pan when the turkey goes in the oven, along with a quartered onion. I stuff the cavity with celery and a quartered onion. I baste the turkey with the broth that the giblets and neck cook in (which starts as salted water but after cooking for several hours it's very rich broth). That all adds up to tasty drippings, and that's gravy! We also use whatever broth is left in the giblets pan. This year I purchased one of these

and I must say it made gravy-making infinitely simpler. The only thing bad about this model (Norpro) is it is glass and feels fairly fragile (thin glass). I would probably get a plastic one if (when) this one breaks. It was simple to get the right ratio of broth to melted fat -- you only need a little of the latter for good gravy. And in case you're wondering, it only takes a minute for the fat to separate. We also add the minced giblets and minced neck meat to the gravy, in case you're wondering. Giblets...mmmm.

Stuffing: Grandma Ruth's stuffing made with chorizo was a huge hit. Huge.  I can see that there maybe a circumstance in the future when I would make it the traditional way, but I don't know that my brother will come to Thanksgiving dinner again if I don't make the Thanksgiving stuffing with chorizo. I also made some homemade bread for the stuffing instead of sandwich bread and that probably contributed to the overall yumminess of the dish. I am reposting the recipe below. It went very well with the Jalapeno Bacon Corn, which was zippy but not overly so. Recipe also below. Sorry, no pics.


Everything else I made was the same as in other years, but it was all good and all went very well together. Yum!

Grandma Ruth's Sausage Stuffing (Kicked-up version)

1 med. onion, finely chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped finely
6 T. butter
1/3 pound fresh chorizo (that was two links for me)
10 twigs fresh parsley, chopped fine
dried bread cubes (see note)
¾ T. poultry seasoning
2 t. salt
¼ t. pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups water (or more to make moist stuffing)

Saute onion and celery in butter until slightly cooked but crispy.
Toss parsley, sausage, bread cubes,
poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
Combine eggs and water.
Lightly toss with bread mixture.
Stuffs a 13 pound turkey.
Or place in a greased casserole dish
and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes until completely done
(see thermometer note above).

NOTE: slowly bake 25 bread slices at 300 degrees F.
until dry and lightly browned, turning once. Slice into 1" cubes.

Jalapeno Bacon Corn
6 slices bacon

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced finely
3 (1#) bags frozen corn
3 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until crisp.
Remove the bacon from the pan. Add jalapeno peppers and saute until tender.
Add butter to the pan and melt. Add the corn and cook until corn is hot.
Crumble bacon into corn.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Roasted Veggie Sandwich

One night a month or so ago, Doug and I were wasting time in front of the television and Sam the Cooking Guy was on. Have you ever seen him? I must say he amuses me. He loves food and he's not afraid to say so.

Anyway, he was having a veggie night and this sandwich (or something very much like this sandwich) was being featured. I made the comment that I would love this sandwich, if only the people I live with would eat veggies. My husband responded that he absolutely would eat this sandwich, and so I said, "You're on." The following Saturday I bought yummy veggies on my Saturday morning grocery shop, as well as a big loaf of Orlando Ciabatta. Yum.

Doug offered to grill the veggies outdoors, but you could also put them on a grill pan on the stove. I'll do that during the winter. I threw the ingredients for a pesto in the processor and when the veggies were done, it all came together in just minutes. All-in-all it was started and finished within 30 minutes. This would be a great dish for a weekend tailgate party -- especially if you have a veggie eater in your crowd. All of my kids ate it, and Joshua, who is a senior in high school, was so taken by this sandwich that when he saw this picture he said, "Oh, mom, when can we have those again?" Big success!

You can vary the veggies according to what you like; I'm listing those that I used. Also, my pesto is a nut-less version, but feel free to add toasted pine nuts or even toasted walnuts to pump yours up. I could not find the recipe on Sam's website, so I had to work from the memory of the show.

Roasted Veggie Sandwich
serves 4-6 depending on size of ciabatta

printer version

1 large loaf ciabatta bread, sliced horizontally and brushed with olive oil
1 medium yellow squash (sliced in about 1/8-inch slices)
1 medium zucchini (sliced in about 1/8-inch slices)
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced in 1/4-inch slices
1 red onion, sliced
olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil, washed and dried
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Place basil and garlic in bowl of food processor. Process until chopped. Add olive oil through feed tube in a slow drizzle, processing until basil and garlic is pureed, adding only enough olive oil to keep it wet. Add Parmesan cheese, process and then add more olive oil as needed to keep pesto wet (you don't want a paste, you want it just slightly runny). Taste and salt as needed.

Preheat grill or grill pan on stove. Place vegetable slices in a bowl and coat with olive oil (you might want to individually coat onion slices so they stay together). Place vegetable slices on grill or grill pan and grill until tender and slightly charred in appearance. When vegetables are done remove to a platter and cover with foil. Grill bread on cut sides, and on outside if desired. When bread is toasted layer vegetables evenly over bottom piece. Spread pesto on top piece and then sandwich them together. Cut in squares or slice loaf crosswise. Serve immediately.

Saturday Night Vidalia Onion

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This recipe's popularity in my house never fails to make me laugh. These children, who complain about little bits of onion in so many dishes, fight over big chunks of sweet and savory onion to eat with their ground steak burgers. Go figure!

This recipe is from Paula Deen, and I always prepare them with ground steak burgers. They make what is, in essence, a burger without a bun, a special treat. Granted the meat is usually a cut higher than hamburger, like ground sirloin, but really the onion is what makes it special. A bite of burger with a bit of onion -- YUM! It's also just as easy as can be -- a few minutes of prep and about an hour cooking and you're done. You can make these on the grill, and they are delish if the grill gets them a little charred on the inside, but I don't usually want to babysit the grill for that long, so I mostly use the oven. If you don't want to make five onions, just remember one tablespoon butter and one boullion cube (or one teaspoon beef base) for each onion.

Saturday Night Vidalia Onion
serves five

printer version

5 large Vidalia onions or comparable sweet onion
5 beef bouillon cubes (or 5 t. beef base)
5 tablespoons butter
pepper, to taste

Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill (or preheat oven to 350 degrees F).

Trim a slice from the top of each onion, and peel the onion without cutting off the root end. With a potato peeler, cut a small cone-shaped section from the center of the onion. Cut the onions into quarters from the top down, stopping within a half inch of the root end.

Place a bouillon cube (or beef base) in the center, slip slivers of butter in between the sections and sprinkle with pepper. Wrap each onion in a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.

Place the foil-wrapped onions directly onto the hot coals and cook for 45 minutes, turning every so often. These can also be baked in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Serve in individual bowls because the onions produce a lot of broth, which tastes like French onion soup.

Source: modified from the Food Network

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