Preschool Chicken

Thank you, Erin for sending me this great recipe! Erin's sister brought this recipe home from preschool when they had a Food Around the World day and her family has used it ever since. I loved the flavors in this new chicken recipe and I like the quick prep. I just mixed the sauce up in the same dish I marinated and baked the chicken in. I cut the chicken in bite-sized pieces and really liked it that way. I served this over brown rice and with steamed broccoli. Next time I might use low-sodium soy sauce or cut down on the soy sauce a little because the dish was a little too salty for me. Here is the recipe.

Marinade:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup vegtable oil

2 1/2 TBS sesame seeds

2-3 tsp garlic powder

1-2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup chopped green onion

2 lbs Chicken breasts (I've also cut the chicken into bite sized pieces before marinading--your choice)

Cooked Rice

Marinate chicken in glass baking dish overnight in the fridge. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. If cooking whole breasts, brush marinade over chicken several times while baking. Serve over cooked rice.

Sweet Treats!

This post is dedicated to a couple of desserts I made this week. First, drum roll please, Beignets! Beignets are a traditional New Orleans pastry and are served at the famous Cafe du Monde. They are basically powdered sugar-covered poufy little doughnuts without holes. I was lucky enough to visit New Orleans my senior year of high school during a Jazz band (yes, Jazz band) trip. New Orleans is a fantastic city in so many ways. The food there was incredible and I even came home with a beignet mix so I could try to replicate the delicious treats. I seem to remember using up the mix within the first two weeks I was home. Well, the other day while I was sorting through my recipes, I came across this make-from-scratch recipe for Beignets.

Beignets

from Southern Living Magazine

1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast

3 Tbsp warm water (100-110 degrees)

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 tsp salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 to 3 quarts vegetable oil

Powdered Sugar

Combine yeast and 3 tablespoons warm water in a large bowl; let mixture stand 5 minutes.

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat (do not boil). Stir in sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool to lukewarm (100-110 degrees).

Add milk mixture, egg, and 2 cups flour to yeast mixture, stirring well. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out ontoa floured surface; knead 8 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down, and turn it out onto a floured surface. Roll dough into a 12-10 inch rectangle; cut into 2-inch squares. Place on a floured surface; cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Pour oil to a dept of 2 to 3 inches into a dutch oven; heat to 375 degrees. Fry beignets, in batches, 1 minute on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with powdered sugar while still hot.

I followed the recipe exactly and these turned out fantastic! They were gone in a flash. I did have some trouble keeping my oil at a constant temperature. I'll need to work on that--practice makes perfect, right? Better make some more! I rolled the beignets in a bowl of powdered sugar after I drained them on paper towels. They were super sugary and one of the great things about beignets is getting the powdered sugar all over the place when you eat them. I seem to remember the beignets in New Orleans being a little more pillowy than mine. I might let them rise a little bit more next time and see if that helps. There will definitely be a next time. Matt would like this dessert to be a weekly tradition and, well, I can't say that didn't cross my mind as we were eating these. But, fried dough covered in sugar probably shouldn't be a weekly treat, so maybe it will be a monthly tradition!

Next up, chocolate chip cookies. I'm a sucker for cookies and chocolate chip cookies in particular. I can't make cookies too often because when I do, I eat them ALL. For me, cookies are like potato chips, you can never have just one (Potato chips are like that for me too). The recipe below resulted in great, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookies. Perfect with a glass of milk.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter (minus 2 Tbsp)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten fluffy

2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp vanilla

1 12-0z package chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients. Beat butter with sugars until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Slowly beat in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Remove cookies immediately from baking sheet and place on cooling rack.

Super Simple Enchiladas

This is a really easy way to make simple chicken enchiladas.

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
1 14-oz can Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup sour cream or plain, non-fat yogurt
6 tortillas

Combine chicken, 1/2 of enchilada sauce, cheese, and sour cream or yogurt in bowl. Mix ingredients well. Place a couple of spoonfulls of mixture onto each tortilla, roll, and place seam side down in greased baking dish (I usually use and 8x8 for 6 enchiladas). Once all enchiladas are in the dish, pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and spread over all tortillas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10 minutes.

I have been using yogurt instead of sour cream and I can't tell a difference at all. I uncover the enchiladas the last 10 minutes because I like the enchiladas a little crispy.

Mom's Chicken, Rice, Tomato Dish

This is a dish my mom said she made often when she and my dad lived in Philadelphia where my dad was going to law school and my mom was working as a speech therapist in the schools. I made it from memory after watching my mom make it, so please make any suggestions, Mom.

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 chicken breasts, cubed

1/2 onion

garlic powder to taste

1 green pepper

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1 cup white rice

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add chicken and saute about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic powder and cook about 5 minutes more, until onion begins to get tender. Add green pepper and cook about 5 minutes more. Add mushrooms and cook about 2 minutes longer. Mix in tomatoes and cook until everything is heated through. Mix in one cup of rice. Cover dutch oven and place in 350 degree oven. It usually takes about 30 minutes to finish cooking the rice. This is a really satisfying meal.

Turkey Loaf

It's not pretty but it's tasty! This is the recipe I usually use to make meatloaf. I've just adapted it from a few different recipes and I've been using ground turkey lately.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (or beef)

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup

chopped onion to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I've found that mixing it together with my hands is the best way to incorporate all the ingredients. Place in greased 9x13 and form into loaf. Spread sauce over loaf. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes for turkey or one hour for beef.

Sauce (from a Paula Deen recipe):

1/3 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

I always double this sauce so we have a lot to put on the individuals slices of meatloaf. It's the best part of the dish!

This Week's Menu

Monday 2/25
* Chicken, Rice, Tomato dish
* Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday 2/26
* Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
* Black Beans
* Steamed Carrots

Wednesday 2/27
* Dinner at friends' house

Thursday 2/28
* Preschool Chicken
* Brown Rice
* Steamed Carrots

Friday 2/29
* Turkey Sloppy Joes
* Sweet Potato Fries

Saturday 3/1
* Homemade Pizza (I use Trader Joe's pizza dough)
* Salad

Sunday 3/2
* Country Captain Chicken
* Brown Rice
* Green Beans

This was last week's menu (I'm posting it here so I can tag it under menus):

Tuesday 2/19
*Chicken and Biscuit Casserole
*Spinach Salad with tomatoes and goat cheese

Wednesday 2/20
*Breaded Pork Chops
*Brown Rice
*Steamed Broccoli

Thursday 2/21
*Vegetable Lasagna
*Salad

Friday 2/22
*Balsamic Chicken
*Mandarin Salad

Saturday 2/23
*Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice

Sunday 2/24
*Turkey Loaf
*Sweet Potato Fries
*Green Beans

Balsamic Chicken

I used the marinade from this Giada De Laurentiis recipe intended for chicken wings. I halved the recipe and marinated two chicken breasts, then cooked them for 30 minutes at 350. I cooked the remaining marinade according to the directions. But, as it cooled, the marinade almost hardened completely and by the time the chicken was done, I couldn't even scoop it out to brush over the chicken. Next time, I will wait until the chicken is done and then cook the marinade and brush it on. I can see how the glaze would be perfect on the chicken wings, since it would make the skin nice and crispy. I don't think it's really needed on the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I thought they were good without the glaze. To accompany the chicken we had a salad with mandarin oranges, slivered almonds, shredded carrot, and Trader Joe's Sesame Ginger Soy Vinaigrette. This is a really easy meal!

Vegetable Lasagna

I adapted this meal from this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis. I made one big lasagna in a 9x13 dish instead of individual lasagnas, which I'm sure would be darling and delicious. This recipe does take some time in terms of prepping the vegetables. I did the chopping in the morning when I had a little bit of time. Then, during Jack's afternoon nap I cooked the vegetables and assembled the lasagna. While the vegetables were cooking, I assembled the first layers of the lasagna. I used the great time-saving no-cook lasagna noodles. The first time I made this I used garbanzo beans and I wasn't a huge fan of them in the dish. This time I used white kidney beans which I fork mashed a little bit before I layered them in the lasagna. I prefer the kidney beans. Mashing them a little gave the bean layer a nice, creamy texture in the lasagna. I used a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. I did not make my own tomato sauce and instead used a 24 oz can of Trader Joe's marinara sauce. Also, I used 2 instead of 3 cups of Mozarella and divided the cheese among the layers.

My layers were:

sauce
noodles
beans
spinach
cheese
noodles
sauce
vegetables
sauce
cheese
noodles
sauce
cheese (Moz & Parm)

I covered the lasagna with foil and cooked it at 350 for 40 minutes and then uncovered and cooked for about 10 minutes more. I love this dish! The different vegetables give it so much flavor. I'd like to try it with fresh pasta and homemade sauce some day when I have tons of time :). One of the best things about making lasagna is the leftovers. I can't wait for lunch today!

Pear, Apple Crisp

This is the best recipe I've tried for a Fruit Crisp. Most of the Barefoot Contessa's recipes are great. I made this a couple of weeks ago when we had some company over and I just had to have it again. I adapted the recipe to make a smaller amount. I used an 8x8 dish. I used 4 apples and 3 pears. I didn't peel the apples--that's the healthiest part of the apple, right? Not to mention it's so much easier and quicker when I don't peel them! I was out of cranberries but the first time I made this I used them and really liked the zing they added to the dish. I followed the recipe exactly for the topping--who doesn't like extra topping, right?! I found 50 minutes of cooking time about perfect and I'm glad I followed the instructions about a baking sheet lined with parchment since the crisp does get bubbly. This dessert is so good. It's very, very rich. Fantastic with a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream. The picture doesn't do it justice. I need to read up on food photography.

Pork Chops

This is how I usually make pork chops. I like the flavors of the marinade, especially the ginger.

For 4 pork chops: Mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbs orange juice, ginger, garlic powder, and onion powder (amounts according to your taste) in plastic bag. Toss in pork chops and marinate in fridge for a couple of hours. Line baking pan with foil and spray with cooking oil spray. Dredge pork chops in bread crumbs (I usually use about a cup for 4 chops) and place in pan. Spray top of pork chops with cooking oil spray--this makes the crust a little crispy and seems healthier than pouring melted butter over them. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. I served this with brown rice and steamed broccoli. To jazz up the broccoli I poured a little bit of Sesame Soy Ginger vinaigrette over it.

Does anyone have any pork chop recipes they love? Please send them my way!

Chicken & Biscuit Casserole

This is not the healthiest meal, but Matt and I both really like it. It turns out tasting kind of like chicken pot pie. I love the fact you don't have to use a can of cream soup. I'm sure following the recipe exactly would be great, but, the way I adapted the recipe made it really quick and easy for me. I only used and 8x8 dish and basically halved the recipe. I melted the butter, added the flour and whisked until incorporated. Then, I whisked in the seasonings followed by 2 cups of chicken broth. I brought the mixture to a boil and then turned down the heat to simmering. It thickens really quickly and is nice and creamy. I then added about half of a 16 oz bag of Trader Joe's Organic Foursome vegetables (peas, green beans, carrots, corn). Then, I added three chopped, cooked chicken breasts. I let it simmer a bit more then dumped it into the dish. I used the refrigerated biscuits for the top of the casserole. These cook much more quickly than the prepared biscuits so if you use them, cook it uncovered about 20 minutes and then covered for the rest of the time. I cooked it uncovered for 30 minutes and you can see the biscuit tops are a little over-done. It is important to cook it for the full time so the biscuit centers aren't doughy. This happened to me the first time I made it. All in all, a tasty, quick, simple comfort food casserole. A quick thanks to Leslie for introducing me to crumbled Goat Cheesse. We love it and never have salad without it. It has a really strong, rich flavor and is so creamy. Yum! Trader Joe's carries it for only $1.99 for a 4 oz container.

What's for Dinner?

I've decided to start a blog dedicated to my adventures in the kitchen. Okay, maybe adventures is the wrong word, but sometimes figuring out what to cook for dinner is a feat. Taking into account all the things that have to be considered--what sounds good, do I have enough time, do I have all (or any) of the ingredients, is it relatively healthy, will both my husband and I like it, will there be enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow, will my 11 month old take a long enough nap for me to prep the meal--dinner can sometimes leave me perplexed. To top it off, I am the most indecisive person you have ever met. My favorite song changes on a daily basis, I pick about three outfits everyday before finally making a commitment, and I still haven't chosen a color scheme for our bedroom (we've been married 6 years). I claim many dishes as my favorite food and I don't dislike any type of cuisine. My husband and I always joke about trying to choose a place to eat out. We both always say "I don't care, anything sounds good to me." Maybe I should start a blog where people just give me tips on where to go eat. Another day. Anyway, by the time we decide on a place, we could have caught and cooked our own dinner. This indecisiveness doesn't help my dinner planning skills. So, I thought I'd start chronicling all of my meal-time decisions. If I publicize my menus, report on their results, get opinions and suggestions, I'm sure I will have a more diverse, delicious dinner lineup. A caveat: I am NOT a gourment cook. Much of my side dishes come from the frozen aisle at Trader Joe's (I LOVE TJ's!). And, since living in the DC metro area, we have noticed a big jump in grocery prices. So, much of what I cook is not fancy, either. I try to cook fairly healthful and affordable meals. Hopefully, I can give you ideas and you can enlighten me. Have a great meal!