Crème de La Crème

Baked Eggs with Ham and Cheddar aka Little Quiches

2009-05-30T14:15:00.002-07:00

Recipe:
8 eggs
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 c cottage cheese
1 c shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 c chopped ham
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin tins.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add flour, baking powder and cottage cheese. Stir in the cheddar. Put the ham and chives in the bottom of each ramekin. Or muffin tin. Pour equal amounts of mixture into each container. Stir contents with a fork (if you have can). Place in oven and bake until eggs set (about 18 minutes...11 if you use a mini muffin tin). Then broil for 1 minute to brown tops. Remove from oven and serve hot.
(I didn't use spinach. I think I will next time.)

CURRIED CARROT SOUP (Apparently this is great for your skin)

2009-04-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Serves 4
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Directions

Heat butter in a Dutch oven or large (4- to 5-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, carrots, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan. Add more water to thin to desired consistency. Reheat, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Note: Hot liquids will expand when blended, so be careful not to fill the jar of the blender more than halfway. To prevent the liquid from spattering, allow the heat to escape: Remove the cap from hole in lid, and cover lid with a dish towel when blending.

Ginger Glazed Baked Ham

2009-04-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

7 to 8-lb fully cooked, bone-in ham
6 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 TBLS ginger (seems like a lot)
1 TBL ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt

Glaze:
1 cup ginger ale
1 cup orange juice
½ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 TBL ginger
1 TBL grated orange peel
About 24 cloves

1 Preheat oven to 325
2 Wipe ham with damp paper towels
3 In large bowl, combine flour, ginger, cloves, and salt;
Mix well with fork.
4 On lightly floured board, mold dough around top and side
Of ham until they are evenly covered. (Do you think there should have been some water in this flour?)
5 Place on rack in shallow roasting pan about 2 hours. (18 minues/pound)
6 Meanwhile, make Glaze: Combine ingredients in small saucepan;
Bring to boiling stirring.
7 Reduce heat; simmer uncovered and stirring occasionally, 40-60
minutes. (Glaze should measure 1 cup)
8 REMOVE PASTRY COVERING FROM HAM AND DISCARD!!!
9 With sharp knife, life off skin. In outside fat layer of ham, make
diagonal cuts to form a diamond pattern. Stud center of each diamond
with a whole clove. (OPTIONAL) (Guess who didn't do this)
10 Brush ham well with glaze and bake 25 minutes longer. Makes 12 servings

Muffin Time

2008-10-06T00:05:00.002-07:00

Here's the recipes from Women's Health of the muffins we made this weekend for General Conference. The Carrot Ginger ones need some butter on top, but overall, they are delicious!

Papaya & Pineapple

Banana Walnut

Carrot Ginger

Okra 3 Ways

2008-09-24T18:11:00.003-07:00

#1
Sauteed Stuffed Okra
Okra, washed and dried
Goat cheese, crumbled
Basil, chopped (or any fresh or dry available herb)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Cut stem off okra pods and scoop out pod contents.
Mix goat cheese, basil, salt and pepper and stuff mixture in the okra pods.
Sauté very briefly (a few seconds) in very hot olive oil and serve at once.

#2
Okra and Roasted Green Chiles
Philippe, TCSA

¼ lb fresh okra
oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tomato, quartered
2 roasted green chiles, peeled, seeded and cut into half-inch segments
1 pinch salt
1/2 jalapeno, chopped, or a pinch of black pepper

Rinse okra in cold water and, important, dry it. Cut off stems without cutting into pods.
Sauté onion in oil in a skillet over moderately high heat until golden, about 3 minutes.
Add other ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
Serve with rice.

#3
Fried Okra
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Show: Paula's Home Cooking

6 cups oil, for frying
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh okra, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup buttermilk
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. (You may not need to use this much oil; do not fill the pan more than halfway up the sides with oil.)
In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, House Seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Dip okra in buttermilk and then dredge in cornmeal-flour mixture to coat well. Carefully add okra to the hot oil and cook until golden brown. (It may be necessary to fry the okra in batches.) Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and then serve immediately.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Easy Stuffed Green Peppers

2008-08-10T18:08:00.002-07:00

I got this one from my mom who probably got it from her mom and we love it. I just dump Kaitlynn's out on her plate and she really loves it. I'll put up a picture later.

4-6 green bell peppers
1-2 lbs lean ground beef
2 cups rice
1 can of tomato soup
1 cup shredded chedder

All you do is cook your rice in a pot. Them you brown your meat in a big skillet. I usually add a little salt and pepper, some Tony Chachere's more spice( I use that alot), and maybe some garlic powder. It really doesn't matter, S&P is just fine. Anyways, just add a big scoop or two of your cooked rice into your skillet so you've got about 40% rice and 60% meat and then add the tomato soup. You really could just eat it right out of the skillet but the peppers add flavor. So get your peppers washed and seeded and cut off the tops. Stand them open side up in a glass cake pan or whatever you have that's oven safe. Fill each pepper with the mixture, and put two inches of water into the glass pan. Stick them in the oven at 400 for about 15-ish minutes or until they change color or just when your too hungry to wait. Top them off with shredded chedder and let it melt in the oven. Take them out when they are melty and delicious.

Mediterranean Chicken Couscous

2008-08-10T17:53:00.003-07:00

Who knew that a three year old would love feta cheese?! Kaitlynn asked for it the next day. "Mom, can I have some cream chunks with my chicken?" I would only use half the package of feta if I were you but It's fairly tasty and It's a no pots and pans kinda meal. I'm going to try it again and try to make the couscous with water and not chicken broth but I'm sure it's fine either way. I really like that it can be served cold, it's nice for travel or lunches.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1 (5.6-ounce) package toasted pine nut couscous mix
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Garnish: fresh basil leaves

Preparation

Heat broth and seasoning packet from couscous in the microwave on HIGH for 3 to 5 minutes or until broth begins to boil. Place couscous in a large bowl, and stir in broth mixture. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Fluff couscous with a fork; stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients. Serve warm or cold. Garnish, if desired.

Tip: You'll need to buy a 2/3-ounce package of fresh basil and 1 rotisserie chicken to get the right amount of basil and chicken for this recipe. Substitute 4 teaspoons of dried basil if you can't find fresh.

Yield

Makes 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Brad's Burgers

2008-07-22T21:21:00.003-07:00

Rachel Ray calls these "A Burger for Brad," and they are the first thing he made me for dinner when he moved in. I was so excited. I made really really lame hamburgers before this recipe and just made these tonight for a Relief Society deal. One girl said, "This is the best hamburger I've had in a really long time." That means it's worth it, right?
And you totally do not have to really measure any of this stuff out. Rounding works.

Mix together in a big-ish bowl:
1 1/2 lbs hamburger (or buffalo)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion finely chopped (or dried minced onions)

In a little bowl, mix:
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot (I use Cholua, which is kind of a weird hot sauce but we have it around, so I don't use too much of it, really.)
3 Tbsp. tomato paste (OR...ketchup works very well; tomato sauce does not; found that one out the hard way)
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar who the heck cares?)
1 Tbsp. grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Steak Seasoning (ok, I really did use this)

Then pour all this sauce over the meat with a little bit of olive oil, too.
Heat up the pan on Medium. Then put in some olive oil. Heat that, too, a bit, and then put in hamburgers patties and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, just until they look perfect. And they will. Melt some cheese on the last minute or two if you want, and, well, I don't have to tell you how to eat a hamburger. Seriously.

Chocolate- Drizzled Praline Cookies

2008-07-17T15:42:00.004-07:00

These are soo stinking amazing. I'm not kidding, "slap you're mama good" as they say in the south. I really have no idea where that saying came from or what it means. Anyways if you want to spoil yourself, someone else, or a combination, then this is the way to go.

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon solid vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 375
In a mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and baking powder, beat until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Stir in the pecans and walnuts.
Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown underneath. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
In a small heavy-duty plastic bag, combine the chocolate chips and shortning. Close the bag just above the chocolate, then place in a bowl of warm water until chocolate melts. Snip off 1/8 inch of the corner of the bag. Gently squeeze the bag to pipe the chocolate mixture over the cookies. Or melt the chocolate and shortening in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle over cookies with a spoon. Let the cookies stand until the chocolate is set.

Spicy Chicken Tacos

2008-07-17T15:09:00.004-07:00

1 tablespoons extra vergin olive oil
1& 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup tomato puree
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
A handful coarsely chopped Spanish Olives stuffed with pimientos
A handful golden raisins
Coarse salt, to taste
8 jumbo corn taco shells or 8 flour tortillas for soft tacos

Toppings:
Shredded cheese
Diced Avacado
Diced tomatoes
Chopped scallion
Shredded Lettuce

Heat a big skillet over medium heat; add evoo, and brown chicken. Add onion and garlic and cook another couple minutes to soften onion. Dump in tomato puree, chili powder, cumin, olives, raisins, and salt. Bring to a bubble , reduce heat to low, and simmer until ready to serve. Warm taco shells or flour tortillas in oven according to package directions. Scoop filling into shells and top at the table.

My thoughts: I don't use the raisins or olives but I love this and I make alot cause it reheats.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Herbed Goat Cheese

2008-07-14T12:56:00.005-07:00

I truly hate goat cheese. So why, might you ask, would I go through the trouble to make this? Because it's fun and fancy and because Adam loves goat cheese. I really want to like it but taking a bite of this delicious, beautiful entree and having it sabotaged by the goat cheese was more than I could take. So I took action and substituted the goat cheese for mozzarella and it was lovely. Finally I could enjoy the flavors of the squash chicken and spices happily together in my mouth. So next time I'll top his with goat cheese and mine with mozzarella and we will dine happily ever after. Give it a try!
P.S. The picture is of the real meal that I made today! Pretty don't you think!?

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup quick cooking barley
2 acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved crosswise and seeded
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon dried sage
Salt and pepper, optional
4 tablespoons crumbled herbed goat cheese Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the barley and simmer until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Scoop the seeds from each squash half and place, cut sides up, in a microwave-safe baking dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until flesh is tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, green pepper and saute 3 minutes. Add sage, salt and pepper, to taste, and cooked barley and stir to coat. Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is cooked through and mixture is well-combined.

Spoon barley mixture into each halved squash. Transfer stuffed squash to a foil-lined baking sheet or a baking dish and top with goat cheese. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned.

Christin's Sunday Version of Candice's Citrus Tilapia

2008-07-13T19:01:00.002-07:00

This is my what-do-I-have-in-the-fridge version of Citrus Tilapia. I bought a bag of frozen Mahi Mahi from Costco a while back. I also had one tilapia filet. Because Mahi Mahi is so much thicker than Tilapia, I had to use a lot more olive oil to pan-fry these in. I've also recently started putting a lid on the fish as it cooks, which really helps keep them moist. Also, didn't have lemon juice, so I just used lots of lime and orange juice. Second Also, I didn't have any green onions so I used dried minced onions. Still, DELCIOUS. Poured tons of sauce on the fish. Served on the side with French Kiss melon (sweet Cantalope) and broccoli. Bridget fell in love with me.

Easy Jambalaya

2008-07-12T15:25:00.005-07:00

Ingredients:
1 box Zatarans or Tony Cachere's Jambalaya mix
1 link smoked cooked sausage
1 can cooked chicken (dark meat is better)
1 small can black sliced olives
1 can Rotelle original
1 small can corn or good handful of frozen corn

Trim casing off of sausage and then cut up in small cubes or pieces. Place in a medium sauce pan and add chicken. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat and then dab up any excess grease with paper towel or drain it off however you choose. Add 2 1/4 cups of cold water and the Jambalaya mix. Stir in until all seasoning is dissolved. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the Rotelle, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally and when there is about 3 minutes left, add the Rotelle.

Serve with corn bread and honey butter for a delicious very quick meal.

I really like this simple recipe. Good food, easy and a great source of heartburn.
Bonnie likes me to use smoked turkey sausage for a "lighter" version. Really not much difference in the taste so whatever you desire........
Candice told me to take a picture of it the next time I make it so everyone can see. She will help me get it posted on here later.

Maybe This is Cheating...

2008-07-12T02:24:00.002-07:00

I just found a very exciting collection of recipes on the Whole Foods website. Even the simple ones sound so fun. Here's what I've found so far: Almond French Toast, Chicken Dippers Lunch, and Mussels with Mushroom Duxelles (never heard this word, but it sounds so good, and mussels are cheap and fun to eat!)

Chicken Breasts

2008-07-09T18:02:00.004-07:00

I love pounding the crap out of chicken. Apparently the tool I use is called a meat tenderizer. I prefer to call it the chicken pounder. Here's a couple ways to cook chicken breasts that are sooo tasty.

Tarragon Chicken
Step 1. Pound the crap out of the chicken breast.
Step 2. Coat the chicken in Tarragon & Poultry Seasoning Tuscan Blend (I found a great one at Sam's Club; I can't remember the brand. It had a brown lid with a grinder. Otherwise, you can follow the original recipe:

2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp. dried Tarragon
1 Tbsp. dried Garlic
1-2 pinches salt

Step 3. Heat pan on medium (like a 7). By itself. Then add olive oil. Pan sear on each side about 3 minutes each.

Step 4. Make dressing! (If you don't want salad, don't do this part!) I have an itty bitty wisk that I got for free a long time ago that is great for mixing little dressings like this.

2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt to taste

Step 5. Mix salad and dressing. Lay chicken on top. Enjoy!

Pizza Chicken!

Step 1. Pound the crap out of chicken breast.

Step 2. Lay one slice (and a half) of mozzarella on top of chicken

Step 3. Add about 5 pepperoni slices.

Step 4. Sprinkle with Basil. Or cut up some basil leaves and lay on top.

Step 5. Roll up and secure with about 5 toothpicks

Step 6. Cook at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Step 7. Good sides: asparagus or broccoli (& crusty Italian bread?)

It just feels good!

2008-07-09T09:56:00.003-07:00

This is one of my absolute favorites. I've made it alot and it's perhaps the very best comfort food. It's great for a big lunch with the girls because it feeds alot and every one likes it. It's kinda like ordering chinese except it's less expensive and you'll have to do dishes. But you could always buy some of those little paper boxes and eat it out of that. I have to make do in Bullhead because there are no really good resteraunts here. But as for my adjustments, that I always have, I always use linguini instead of rice noodles and it's easier. Plus I always double the sauce because, well... I just like things saucey. Enjoy!!

Caramelized Chicken and Rice Noodles

Ingredients:
6 ounces rice noodles(or fettuccine)
1/4 cup water
2 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls soy sauce
1 tbls cooking oil
1 medium sliced onion
4 cloves minced garlic
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
cut into bit sized pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into thin, bite sized strips(1 cup)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

Directions
1. Break rice noodles into 3 inch pieces. In a medium bowl soak rice noodles in enough warm water to cover about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan combine the 1/4 cup water, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Bring to boiling, stirring until brown sugar dissolves. Remove sauce from heat, set aside.
3. Pour oil into wok or large skillet. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add the onion slices; stirfry for 3 minutes. Add garlic; stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the chicken, carrots, and crushed red pepper and stir-fry for 2 mintues. Add sauce to wok. Cook about 4 minutes more or until the chicken is tender and no longer pink and the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Add the soaked rice noodles (linguini or fettuccine) and green onions to wok; stir-fry for 1 minute more or until heated through.
4. To serve, divide chicken mixture among 4 plates. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Shrimp, Baby Spinach, and Basil Risotto

2008-07-08T16:10:00.002-07:00

I've maybe made this more than any other recipe in this book. Delicious!
1/2 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (frozen is fine but not the cooked kind!)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp minced shallot
1 1/2 Arborio rice (white sticky pretty rice)
4 cups baby spinach leaves, cut into fine shreds
1 cups finely sliced fresh basil (or about 10 shakes dry)
1/3 cupe grated Parmesan cheese

Reserve 8 shrimp and coarsely chop the rest. Combine broth and 3 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Add whole shrimp and cook until bright pink, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add shallot and saute until softened, about 1 minute. Add rice and saute until opaque, about 3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup broth mixture, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring until most of liquid is absorbed. Stir in chopped shrimp. Continue to add 3/4 cup broth at intervals until almost all liquid is used and rice is al dente, about 20 minutes. Add a Tbsp or two of broth to rice and stir in spinach and basil, remaining butter, salt to taste, and cheese, if using. Serve at once, garnished with whole shrimp.

Fancy Alert! Cornish Game Hens with Raspberry Sauce

2008-07-08T15:42:00.004-07:00

I love love love this recipe. It looks fancy; it sounds fancy, and I'd never even eaten a Cornish Game Hen before this recipe. I've made it 4 times, and it always turns out great. (Except when once I didn't allow for the fact that it takes longer to cook 6 than to cook 2. Oops!)
And it's easy...

2 Cornish Game Hens
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp raspberry vinegar (this is the hardest ingredient to find. I found raspberry red wine vinegar at Fred Meyer. Private selection brand) . Regular red wine vinegar will work fine, I'm sure.
2 tsp fresh thyme (or not fresh, as I always use.) Except that if you use fresh you can stuff sprigs inside the chickens, which is fun. I did succomb to that once.)
2 tsp minced shallot (little purple onion-y things. You can substitute onions if you like but these have a great flavor. And they are in lots of recipes.)
1/3 cup dry white wine (white cooking wine is $3 almost anywhere. It's next to the vinegars usually. And the alcohol cooks out always. Nobody better give me crap about this.)
1 tsp balsalmic vinegar
1 3/4 c raspberries (frozen is fine)
1/4 c low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350. Check for giblets in your chickens. I've never found any, but apparently sometimes they're there. Throw them away. Pat hens inside and out with paper towels. Coat with oil.
Stir mustard, raspberry vinegar, minced thyme, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper together in a small bowl. Brush hens with mixture. Tuck 3 thyme springs into body cavity of each hen. Place on a rack in a roasting pan (or in a Pyrex; it all works the same) and roast until juices run clear when pierced with a knife, about an hour. Remove from oven and cover with foil.
Pour off all the juices in the pan into a saute pan (this is easier if you took the chickens out!). Add shallot. Cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Add wine and stir to scrape up brown bits. Stir in balsamic vinegar and all but 12 raspberries (If they were frozen, rinse them). Reduce heat to medium and cook until berries dissolve and sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Add broth, raise heat to high, and cook for one minute. Remove and strain through fine mesh sieve ( Recipe detour: this is messy. I've used a colander, I've used a sieve, and then other times I've just given up. Its really hard to get all those raspberry seeds out, and sometimes I just skip this step and it's still fantastic.)

Place hens on plate (cut in half with poultry scissors if desired) and drizzle raspberry sauce over hens. Garnish with reserved raspberries.

Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes make an excellent side for this. If you start boiling the water for them right before you start the sauce, they should be done about the same time.

Snow Peas and Chicken Green Curry

2008-07-08T15:32:00.002-07:00

This is one of my favorite relatively fast recipes. I'm not actually a huge curry lover, but this is pretty mild and adds just a little kick.

1 1/2 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 tsp Thai green curry paste
3 skinless boneless chicken thighs or
1 skinless boneless chicken breast
thickly sliced crosswise
1/2 tsp asian fish sauce
(really, the bottle just says fish sauce)
1 cup light coconut milk
3 Tbsp low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 long green chile, seeded and minced
(I always end up using an anaheim pepper)
1/2 lb snow peas
1/2 lb button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Steamed rice for serving

Heat saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil, then curry paste and stir-fry for about 45 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry until opaque, 3-4 minutes. Add fish sauce and a little coconut milk and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add remaining coconut milk, broth, and chile and cook, stirring until liquid is reduced to 2/3 cup, 6-7 minutes. Add snow peas and mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Serve hot, over steamed rice.

Kung Pao Chicken

2008-07-08T14:49:00.003-07:00

Ginger anyone?!! Were I a ginger lover, this would be my favorite recipe. Don't be shy about throwing in lots of broccoli because it really adds to it. Plus it's pretty and kinda fun to make.

WARNING: If you don't truly love ginger, save your chicken for something else. Perhaps the Chicken Piccata with Capers that will most likely be making an apperance on this blogg very soon.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided 4 cups broccoli florets 1 tablespoon ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World), divided 2 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 teaspoon cornstarch 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped salted peanuts

Preparation

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and 2 teaspoons ginger to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add water. Cover; cook 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from pan; keep warm.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan; add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger, crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return broccoli mixture to pan; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup chicken mixture and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts)

Portobello Mushroom And Almond Pesto Lasagna

2008-07-08T14:34:00.004-07:00

Hello mushroom lovers!! This one was a little more Adam's style but still kinda interesting. Of course I used a little less lemon (like I always do) and don't go buck wild with those almonds or it's a little ummm.... gritty. And one more thing. When they say to use no-boil lasagna sheets you think, "oh, that could save me time, what a great idea" except it's not. It's just not the same. Were I you I'd spend the extra ten minutes and boil some traditional pasta sheets. But give it a try. Kaitlynn thought those layers of noodles and cheese were pretty fun to help make. I almost forgot to add that I decided to up the protein levels by sauteing some extra lean ground turkey, finely chopped onions, and a little Italian seasonings to be used as it's own layer right above the tomatoes.

Sorry about the timing but about two days later I pulled it out of the fridge and just like the powerful feeling I get with really good leftover spaghetti, it was fantastic! That's right, it's actually better as a left over. What is it with Italian entrees and the magical ability to be the perfect leftover?

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 large portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
Two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
3 cups (about 10 ounces) sliced almonds, toasted
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
6 no-boil lasagna sheets
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until softened, 6 to 7 minutes.2. Using a food processor, process the toasted almonds, Parmesan, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil into a coarse paste. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.3. In an 8-inch square baking dish, spread half the tomatoes across the bottom. Place 2 lasagna sheets on top. Spread a third of the pesto over the sheets; sprinkle with half the mozzarella and then half the mushrooms. Add another layer of lasagna sheets, pesto, mozzarella and mushrooms. Top with another layer of lasagna sheets, spread with the remaining pesto and then the remaining tomatoes. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Talapia Fish With Citrus Sauce

2008-07-06T20:06:00.004-07:00

Ingredients:

1 lb. tilapia fillets, 1/2-inch thick 1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

Method

In a shallow dish, let fillets soak in milk for 10 minutes, 5 minutes on each side. Remove fish from milk and sprinkle with salt. Dredge fish in flour, shaking off excess. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook until golden brown on each side. Remove fish to serving dish; keep warm. Wipe skillet clean and reduce heat to low. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter to skillet. Add garlic, lime, lemon, orange juices, and green onions. Saute for 1 minute. Pour sauce over fish and serve.

Kaitlynn liked the fish without the sauce. I used goats milk because we don't usually have regular milk in the house, and I used less citrus juice. I think people get a little carried away with citrus in general. But altogether I think it turned out great.

Baked Dijion Salmon

2008-07-06T19:55:00.004-07:00

This is a family favorite! Kaitlynn loves pink salmon meat and it's an easy way to get fish into her diet. ENJOY!!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.