Chicken Cacciatore

This is a super simple recipe from myrecipes.com. It feeds a crew and the leftovers freeze well.

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
• Two 6-ounce cans tomato paste
• Two 4-ounce cans sliced mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon celery powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Layer onion over bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add chicken pieces to cooker. Combine next 12 ingredients and red pepper, if using; pour over chicken in cooker. Cover and cook on Low 7 to 9 hours or on High 3 to 4 hours.
2. Serve over pasta or rice.

Boston Clam Chowder

I only find recipes, I don't make them up. And this was another great one. Can't remember where it came from, but it was in Word doc I had somewhere.

*Serves 6-8*
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced, peeled potatoes (I use Yukon Gold or Red potatoes)
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 quart half-and-half
2 (6.5-oz.) cans minced clams
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Pepper to taste

Drain the clams and reserve the liquid. In a large pot, place the vegetables and pour the claim juice over the top. Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are almost tender (don’t overcook them in this step!), about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour, making a roux with a wire whisk. Constantly stirring, add the half-and-half slowly. Cook and stir until smooth and thickened, without boiling. When slightly thickened, add the roux to the vegetables and add the clams, salt, vinegar and pepper (to taste). Can keep warm (without boiling!) for a up to an hour or serve immediately.

Bake French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)

8 large eggs

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Praline Topping, recipe follows

• Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Slow Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas

From the blog "100 days of real food." I'm surfing the Internet today and wanted to make sure I bookmarked these on my site to return to and make later. Looks delicious and easy.

Yield: 5 – 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs flank steak, preferably grass fed (we buy ours from Baucom’s Best at the Matthews Farmers’ Market)
• 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably the low-sodium variety
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 – 5 bell peppers, any color
• 1 onion
• Other fajita fixings: Whole-wheat tortillas, grated cheese, fresh sliced avocado, cilantro, lime slices, fresh spinach leaves, sour cream, hot peppers, etc.

Directions

1. Mix together the dry spices with a fork including the chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.
2. Rub the spice mixture over all sides of the flank steak and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the soy sauce on top.
3. Top the flank steak with the diced jalapeno and minced garlic. Slice the bell peppers and onion and throw those on top of the steak as well.
4. Turn the slow cooker onto HIGH and cook for 5 – 6 hours or until the steak can easily be shredded with two forks.
5. Drain the meat and peppers well then serve with the recommended fajita “fixings” (listed above). Enjoy!

Sweet Pork Salad

Many moons ago I worked at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City for a week. Some random person I worked with told me she had the recipe for salads from a great place out of Utah. She sent them to me and ever since, we've been making this delicious salad. The prep takes a little while, but all of it can be made ahead of time, and it makes a lot, so it's perfect for hosting a big party of friends. Or, the salad is great for a Sunday meal, then burritos the next night, nachos the night after, and tacos after that. If you're not sick of pork by then. We never make the chicken, but people love it, I'm just not especially fond of chicken, but I'm including that recipe too anyway.

Chicken
-----------
5 lbs Chicken Brest – boneless, skinless
1 small bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Pork
-------
Pork Roast
1 bottle of honey barbeque sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 liter of Coke

Place all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on low all night. In the morning take the roast out leaving the juice in the crock pot, shred the roast. Then place the shredded roast back in the crock pot and leave it on low.


Lime Rice
--------------
In a sauce pan, sauté:
2 Tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
In a large pot, bring the following to a boil:
6 2/3 cup water
8 tsp chicken bullion
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 small cans diced green chilies
1 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp salt

Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.


Pico de Gallo
-------------------
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients together in a medium bowl.


Tomatillo Dressing
--------------------------
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tomatillos, peel
½ - 1 clove garlic, minced
½ - 1/3 bunched cilantro, chopped
½ tsp lime juice
½ - 1 small Jalapeno, seeds removed

Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.


Serve in the following order:
--------------------------------------
Tortillas
Shredded cheese
Chicken or Pork
Black or Pinto Beans
Lime Rice
Red and Green Leaf Lettuce, shredded
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Fresh cilantro
Parmesan cheese
Fresh lime slice
Tomatillo dressing

Directions:
Included with the ingredients...

Number Of Servings:10-20
Preparation Time:Alot? The great thing is you can make it all ahead of time

Homemade Holiday Potpourri

I love my home smelling like cinnamon and other good spices. Not edible, but this is a great little potpourri mixture I have simmering on the stove:

3 bay leaves
5 cinnamon sticks
2-3 slices of orange
2-3 slices of lemon
1/4 c whole cloves
1 quart water (or more to add as water boils off)

Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer. I'll use the same mixture for a week but maybe you could use longer. Refrigerate when not using to maintain freshness.

Delicious Crepes Revisited

Why are the easiest things the most difficult for me to cook? Not sure, but only recently have I mastered boiled eggs and today CREPES. Jared grew up with crepes/swedish pancakes every Sunday. For some reason, his family recipe eludes me. But then I grabbed this recipe from my friend, Patrice, and varied it slightly, and we loved them and I feel so successful. Try these, especially if you have the same simple cook issues as I.

Update (March 11, 2012): I've revisited again and this new recipe is now my favorite. I'll include the older one below in case I decide to return to the old (or I don't have heavy whipping cream), but these I want to make right now.

NEW and improved:
3 eggs
1/4 c almond milk
1/4 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c water
1/4 c whole wheat flour (or power flour)
1/2 c white flour
1/2 t salt

Old recipe:
3 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
3 T melted butter (I halfed this)
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c flour (white)
1/2 t salt

yields: 9 crepes

Heat stove on medium low (I put my gas stove at 3). Whisk eggs vigorously. Then add each ingredient, whisking vigorously in between. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto metal pan (we have a flat pan banked slightly on the sides with a red dot in the middle that tells me where to pour which I appreicate). Swirl batter around to cover area of pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Flip over. Cook another minute or two. Add sugar, extra butter, or nothing, and roll up and place on plate (I keep the plate heated in the oven at 200).

Serve with syrup, whipped cream, Nutella, berries, bananas, anything. Or go savory with other items like ham, sour cream, spinach, caramelized onions.

Fool-proof Slow Cooker Beef Stew that Rocks

I probably cook this twice a month which says a lot because I seldom cook the same thing. This was originally a beef stroganoff recipe (which you can do if you eighty-six the peas and carrots and add a half cup sour cream just before serving), but it's so easy to turn it into a beef stew that we've only done that. The price per serving, near as I can tell, comes in at about $1.75. And, I'm in a yuck-meat phase where I don't want to handle raw meat, so I just buy the roast already cut up. More expensive, but I buy like five pounds of it at Costco and use only half the meat the recipe calls for, and freeze the rest in separate baggies.

Try this for a great afternoon meal on a cold day. Everyone has LOVED it.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 pounds stew meat (or a 3-pound chuck roast, cubed)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 lb carrots chopped (optional)
1-3 potatoes diced (optional)
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups beef broth or stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/3 cup flour
6-7 tablespoons apple juice or water
4-8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1-2 cups frozen peas (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Place the stew meat, salt, pepper and onion in the slow cooker. Stir to distribute the seasonings and onion. In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, Worcestershrie sauce, beef broth and ketchup. Pour over the meat. Cook for 7-9 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. About 30 minutes before serving, combine the flour and apple juice in a small bowl, whisking vigorously to combine well. The roux should be thick but still pourable so add a tablespoon of apple juice or water at a time to thin, if needed. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to mix in the roux with the stew meat and juices and to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and peas and stir. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Sometimes I don't put the potatoes in and just make up a bunch of fresh mashed potatoes on the side.

*Freezable Meal: The leftovers of the stroganoff can be frozen. I store the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and then thaw in the refrigerator (usually takes about a day) and reheat over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Split Pea Soup with Barley and Ham - Slow Cooker

Recently, I've been cooking everything from Mel's Kitchen Cafe blog and have yet to find a recipe we didn't love! This is yet another one and was so easy and healthy. The barley was a great addition.

*Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dry split green peas
1/2 cup medium pearl barley (not quick-cooking barley)
2 cups chopped ham
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
5 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl or liquid measure, combine the water, bouillon cubes and spices and whisk to combine (it’s ok if the bouillon cubes don’t completely dissolve).

In a medium round slow cooker (about 4-quart), layer peas, barley, ham, carrots, onion and celery. Do not mix. Pour in the water/spices mixture and add the bay leaf to the slow cooker. Don’t stir! Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or on low eight hours, until the peas reach the desired creamy, soft texture. Remove the bay leaf, stir well, and add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately. Upon sitting and/or refrigerating, this soup thickens considerably. Simply add water or chicken broth to thin the soup to the desired consistency before reserving.

Shrimp and Avocado Tacos Ceviche Style

I use a bag of uncooked shrimp that I normally have in my freezer. You can quickly thaw frozen cooked shrimp in a colander under cold water. Or if you use raw shrimp, you can boil to keep them from overcooking. Take them off the burner as soon as they're pink. Marinate shrimp in a nonreactive bowl, such as one that is glass or ceramic; an aluminum or copper bowl will react with the citrus juice to give the shrimp a metallic taste.

3 limes
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1 cup diced peeled avocado (about 1 avocado)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb cooked peeled medium shrimp
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 cup of cabbage for garnish

Finely grate rind from limes to measure 1 tablespoon, juice limes to measure 1/4 cup. Place rind and juice in a large bowl. Add tomato and remaining ingredients except tortillas; toss well to combine. Cover and chill for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/2 cup shrimp mixture down center of each tortilla; fold in half. Serve immediately.

Mmmmm. We added a little cheese. We thought cabbage would be good too.

Autumn Menu

Last week it was 85. Monday, the wind started to blow. It blew and blew and blew until it cooled off all of Bozeman and now it's a chilled 50 degrees by the afternoon. I'm glad I finally finished repainting a long-term project of mine. It only took me nine years to paint a small chest and now I'm wishing I'd changed the color. It took me nine years to decide! Yeesh. An ability for decorating I wish I had and alas, I'm paralyzed by color.

But not the great colors of Fall! These inspire me. After living five years in California where the weather was perfect all year long (I miss it sometimes), it gets me giddy every time the seasons change. It's nice to be apart of change sometimes and Fall is one of the best times of the year in Bozeman. The other best times are Spring and Summer and Winter pulling up the end.

Time to bag the grill and dust off the CrockPot. I feel like we traveled so much this summer, I didn't really enjoy all the Spring salads and cool stuff of summer, but another season, another menu. Warm rolls, hearty soups, fresh bread, and maybe some cinnamon potpourri to welcome in the cold nights.

My boys are off on a trip together for a couple days, and I finally have a moment to plan a menu. It's been fun combing through the Internet to find good food blogs and plot out a menu. My only qualm is that everytime someone provides a menu, they only provide dinner, but what about breakfast and lunch? My little menu below is a reminder for me of some quick breakfast/lunch items to eat also. 

I spent $125 for two-weeks worth of food (not just dinner), so for me that would be great to feed my family on $250/month. Here's my beginner menu with all new recipes. Two weeks of goodness. I'll include all websites where I grabbed these recipes and commentary as our family eats these meals. Like I've mentioned before, I just need an online recipe book, this site isn't to make me rich.

Sunday
b: Swiss chard frittata While our 1.5 year-old inhaled this, Jared choked it down and mildly threw up in his mouth when he realized it wasn't eggs and spinach out of a pie plate that he'd been eating, but rather tofu and chard. Guess he's not ready for vegan...
l: PBJ
d:
main: Beef stroganoff  with Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad
This was great the day of and delicious for lunch. We served it over red potatoes, so it was more like stew than stroganoff. Next time I'll carry out the stew plan and add carrots. Yum! A keeper.

Monday
b: Oatmeal Pancakes The best part about this recipe is that you make up a huge batch of the mix and use it forever. The pancakes were delicious and our family had fresh peaches, bananas, pecans, whipped cream and maple syrup.
l: Kale salad, leftover fruit and oatmeal pancakes (cheap right?)
d: South Indian Style Vegetable Curry (finecooking.com) - SUPER spicy. Leave out cayenne next time. It had rave reviews on Fine Cooking, but I'm not all that convinced. Then again, I only lived 10 minutes from the best Indian restaurant in the whole world when I live in California (Kamal Palace, Seal Beach, CA)

Tuesday
b: Bacon, Eggs, Green Smoothie (that's where you blend up a few handfuls of spinach along with anything to make it good and healthy - i.e., flaxseed, oat bran, carrot, berries, apple juice, coconut, banana).
l: PBJ or Sandwich with hummus and peas (Parker loves this)
d: White and Green Chicken Enchiladas (not healthy, but needed)

Wednesday
b: Smoothies, Refrigerator Muffins
l: leftover enchiladas
d: Garlic Tuna and Asparagus Pasta

Thursday
b: kale/fruit smoothie
l: leftover pasta/tuna fish sandwiches
d: salmon, fresh green beans

Friday
b: oatmeal
l: tomato/basil/mozz salad
d: leftovers (indian curry)

Saturday
b: banana-nut pancakes
l: sandwich
d: Autumn vegetable soup

Sunday
... to be continued...

Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad with Feta Cheese

Finally, kale that I can eat! Of all the timesucks on the Internet, Pinterest is at the forefront for me right now. But it did lead me to a great food blog: Mel's Kitchen Cafe. She has several great recipes using normal spices that you'd have in your pantry, which I like. I've used several of her recipes this week and so far, every one has been a winner.

Especially this salad. Jared didn't scarf it down like he will something with beef in it (I did pair this salad with her Beef Stroganoff - solid recipe), but he did say it was good and ate it all, which he normally doesn't do with salad. Kale is such a sturdy green, that normally to eat it, I throw it in a smoothie or a soup to mask its bitter chewiness. I didn't realize that massaging it with just a little bit of salt could go such a long way. Once I added the rest of the ingredients, this salad was healthy and delicious and good the next day for lunch too.

As a sidenote, I've been working on presentation lately, and this salad looks pretty on the table.

*Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch kale
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sea salt
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries/craisins (I used maple candied cherries that I had)
3/4 cup small-diced apple
1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Wash the kale and pat it dry. Slice off the stiff stems below the leaves and continue slicing the stem away from the leaf until you have cut a thin v-shape into the kale leaf and removed the tough stem all the way up. Stack the kale leaves two or three at a time, roll them up, and slice the leaves into thin ribbons.
Place the kale ribbons in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and massage it into the kale with your hands for two minutes. You’ll notice the kale start to turn a darker green and the texture of the kale will begin to soften a bit.

Toss in the red onions, craisins, apples, and sunflower seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and sugar. Pour over the salad and toss. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and serve. The salad can be refrigerated for up to a day before serving (if doing this, I would suggest refrigerating the salted kale separately from the other ingredients and tossing the salad together an hour or two before serving).

Swedish Pancakes

It's been a crazy summer and I haven't even really been home to cook. But today, I thought I'd try my version of a Swedish pancake/crepe. They were so good! I think next time I'll half the butter (which I'm posting the recipe with only half the butter in it, so you could in theory double it and they'd be good).

• 2 large eggs
• 2 c milk
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 2 T sugar
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 T melted butter
• Oil for griddle (if needed - I had a nonstick pan and the butter was enough to flip them over)
• Sides of fruit, Nutella, jam, and some like sour cream

Directions
Preheat a Swedish pancake pan (round, cast-iron pan) over medium heat.

Beat the egg and milk in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the milk mixture, stirring to make a thin batter. I hear you shouldn't overmix it, but I had to in order to get the lumps out. Fold in the melted butter.

Grease pan with oil if needed. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the middle of the pan and swirl around to cover the bottom of pan. Will be a very thin layer of batter. Cook until bubbles form on the top, about 1-2 minutes. Turn with a spatula (or be spicy and try to flip it like Emeril) and cook on the second side until golden, about 1 minute. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining batter.

Here was my favorite: After I flipped the pancake in the pan, I covered the cooked side with Nutella and bananas, and let it all heat up in the crepe. When the other side was finished, I folded the pancake in half and slid it onto my plate. Perfect!


Serve hot with all toppings.

Toasted Corn, Edamame, and Tomato Salad

We love to eat this salad in summertime. I'll make up a batch and then we eat on it all week long!

1 cup frozen shelled edamame
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 medium ears) (p.s. I used frozen corn)
2 Tbs. plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. clover honey
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 15)
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil

------------------------------------------
Cook the edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.

Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are golden brown in patches, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Slowly pour in the remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil, whisking constantly until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium serving bowl, combine the cooled edamame and corn, the tomatoes, and the herbs. Gently toss. Add half of the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Chinese Chicken Salad

I have a chinese chicken salad recipe that I never use because it takes a long time to make. This one was simple, and healthy with the cabbage and the fresh ginger. Next time I'm going to try it with a little less sugar. I'm sure it makes it taste great, but I bet I can reduce it a little more. Or at least use a sugar substitute. We'll definitely eat this salad again. The dressing was great!

(adapted from finecooking)

2-1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/3 medium head)

1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1/3 cup thinly sliced (on the diagonal) scallions (about 4, white and green parts)
1 tsp. plus 3 Tbs. low-salt soy sauce
3-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt

1 clove garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus 1 Tbs. chopped
3 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. peanut oil (I used sesame oil because I didn't have peanut oil, and I think it enhanced the flavor)
1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds or chopped peanuts

In a bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, scallions, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, and a big pinch of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.

In a small food processor, chop the garlic and ginger. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, add the 1/4 cup cilantro and chop thoroughly. Scrape the bowl, add the peanut butter, 1 Tbs. hot water, the lemon juice, 1 Tbs. oil, 3 Tbs. soy sauce, and 2-1/2 tsp. sugar. Pulse until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.

Either grill or cook the chicken in a skillet, seasoning with salt. I used our George Foreman because it's the bomb. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Slice the chicken into generous 1/4-inch strips.

Toast the sliced almonds. Set the broiler to high, and spread the almonds on a sheet. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and cook for 1 minute. It seems much quicker than toasting them on the stove top.

The rest of the directions say to squeeze the cabbage mixture well and add it to the chicken, pour in the dressing, and toss well to combine. But (and I should have taken a picture of this because it looked pretty for once), I put the cabbage mixture on the plate, layered the chicken on top, and drizzled the dressing over the chicken. In my world, I felt gourmet because I never pay attention to presentation (although I'm trying to - I've just had to get this cooking thing down first). With the sesame oil addition, the dressing was strong but delicious, so I didn't want to overpower the salad. I put the rest of the dressing in a bowl and we could add more if we wanted. Jared did. And went on to eat a variety of other random foods in the kitchen, dipping them in the dressing. Lovely.

Divide among two to four plates and garnish with the remaining cilantro and the toasted almonds or peanuts.

Simple Shrimp Avo Salad

(from my friend, Mo, from her recipe from RealSimple)

About 6 corn tortillas
olive oil
salt and pepper
about a pound of large shrimp (the recipe called for 1 1/2, but 1 pound was more than enough for me and the kids),        
  peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. cumin (or more, we love cumin)
2 romaine hearts, sliced thin
1/4 of a red cabbage, sliced thin
2 tbls. fresh orange juice
2 tbls. fresh lime juice
avocado
roasted pumpkin seeds


First make some baked tortilla strips in the oven.  Preheat oven to 400 and place about 6 corn torillas, sliced about 1/2 in. strips on a  baking sheet.  Toss about a tbls. of olive oil and a little salt with them then bake them until crispy, about 10 minutes.

Then toss your prepared shrimp with the cumin and some salt and pepper.  With about 1 tbls. of olive oil in a saute or frying pan on medium high heat, cook the shrimp about 2 minutes on each side until they look done.

Make the dressing with the orange juice, lime juice and about 1/4 cup olive oil (I comletely eye-balled this part so I have no idea what the measurements were, this is just my best guess).  Salt it a little and mix it up!

Then throw all your ingredients in a bowl and toss if you wish or if you're weird like me and feel the need to "plate" each person's meal, I layered it in pasta bowls starting with romaine and cabbage, followed by avacado, shrimp, a drizzle of dressing, tortilla strips and topped it off with pumpkin seeds.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

(adapted from betty crocker)

And they turned out pretty darn good. Here's a tip I learned from Ina Garten: once you scoop out the cookies and put them on the sheet, flatten them a bit with a damp hand. They turn out great!

3/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter/margarine, softened (if you have a Bosch, you don't need to soften the butter - it does it for you when you beat it all together)
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c quick-cooking (or old-fashioned) rolled oats
1/2 c raisins (or other dried fruit - I used cranberries this time)
1/2 c chopped pecans (or other nut)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto sprayed cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 375°F. for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

You can freeze oatmeal cookies for up to six months too.

 

Grilled Tuna Fajitas

ingredients

• 2 5- to 6-ounce fresh or frozen tuna steaks, cut 1 inch thick
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 recipe Tomatillo Salsa (see below)
• 8 8-inch fat-free flour tortillas
• Nonstick spray coating
• 2 medium red sweet peppers, quartered, stems and membranes removed

directions

1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry. Place fish in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, mix lemon juice, cilantro or parsley, olive oil, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper. Pour over fish in bag; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes, turning bag occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, prepare Tomatillo Salsa. Wrap tortillas tightly in foil.
3. Drain fish, reserving marinade. Lightly spray a cold grill rack with nonstick coating. Place fish on the rack of the uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Place red sweet pepper quarters beside fish and perpendicular to wire of grill rack. Grill fish for 8 to 12 minutes or just until fish begins to flake easily, turning once and brushing once with reserved marinade halfway through grilling. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill sweet peppers for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Place wrapped tortillas on grill rack during the last 5 minutes of grilling.
4. Flake fish into large chunks with a fork. Cut sweet peppers into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Immediately fill warm tortillas with fish and sweet pepper strips. Serve with Tomatillo Salsa. Makes 4 servings.
5. Tomatillo Salsa: Wearing plastic gloves, rinse 2 fresh serrano peppers. Halve peppers; remove seeds, stems, and veins. Finely chop peppers. Remove husks from 3 fresh tomatillos. Finely chop tomatillos (you should have about 1-1/2 cups). Stir together peppers; tomatillos; 3 green onions, thinly sliced (6 tablespoons); 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro or parsley; 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 clove garlic, minced.
6. Make-Ahead Tip: Up to 2 hours ahead, prepare Tomatillo Salsa. Cover and chill.

Ratatouille

(from Clean Eating)

2 firm, good-sized purple eggplants (about 4lbs)
1/2 c EVOO, divided
2 large zucchinis, eashed, well-timmed, quarted along the length, seeded and cut again in two-inch strips
2 green peppes, washed, seeded and deveined, cut into half-inch strips
4 good-sized onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 good-sized tomatoes, washed, peeled, and coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
2 T dried oregano
1 heaping tsp dried thyme
1/4 c fressh basil, chopped
1/4 c fresh dill, chopped
3.5 tsp sea salt, divided
freshly ground pepper to taste

Salting eggplant:

1. Peel and cube eggplant. In large bowl, toss with about 2 tsp of fine sea salt. Place in a bowl and let stand, covered for about an hour. The bitter juice will collect in the bottom of the bowl.
2. Transfer eggplant to colander and rinse well. Pat dry rinsed eggplant with clean towel.

Ratatouille:

1. Prepare large shallow roasted pan witha a light coating of olive oil.
2. Preheat over to 350F.
3. Place about 3 T olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Saute eggplant in batches. You can add more olive oil with successive batches. Place eggplant in prepared roasting pan.
4. Saute all vegetables. Add more olive oil as needed. Toss vegetables gently once they are all in pan.
5. Toss herbs, garlic, rest of sea salt and pepper into the liquid remaining in the skillet. Cook until fragrant (not long). Pour over vegetables in pan.
6. Bake in oven, uncovered, for one hour. Serve hot over brown rice.

Chocolate Cake not for the Faint of Heart

I can't wait to make this for our friend's birthday this week. I made it once before for another birthday and realize that special occasions really should be the only time to pull out this cake for so many reasons. It's quite possibly just super amazing and maybe the best chocolate cake I've ever had.

"dry mixture"
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

"wet" mixture
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
1/3 cup cocoa


3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together (dry mixture).  In a saucepan bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil (wet mixture).  Add the two mixtures and mix well.  Add sour cream, eggs and vanilla.  Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting
 1 stick butter
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup cocoa
4 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, bring butter, milk and cocoa to a boil.  Then add powdered sugar and vanilla.  Pour over warm cake and serve.

Still cold but it should be Spring Menu

We are moving in two weeks - or maybe four - and it's hard to contain my excitement and my obsession for how perfectly organized our next place will be. Until then, while all I want to do is pack, pack, pack and plan, plan, plan for all that additional space, I have to feed, feed, feed my family. Here's my two-week menu planner. It's always sort of fun when you have dinner plans with another family. You only have to cook part of it.

Monday:
Memorial Day BBQ with friends

Tuesday:
Eggplant Ratatouille

Wednesday:
Birthday party - I make the cake

Thursday:
Shrimp Fajitas

Friday:
Date night

Saturday:
Chickpea stew

Sunday:
Pot Roast

Monday:
Leftovers

Tuesday:
Pasta salad

Wednesday-Sunday:
Traveling (we travel a lot)

Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

(from Shine on YaHoo)


This week, I'm doing it a little different. I'm posting my recipes - because I find them all over the Internet - and then I'm going to cook them. If they're not up to snuff, then I'm erasing them. That's the short of it. But I keep seeing a recipe that I know I should remember and my mind is becoming too garbled with other things that I really should remember.

With that, here's a recipe that looks so good. I might go with Shine's suggestion and buy storebought pizza dough, but my own pizza dough is so easy and I always make a double or triple batch and freeze it.

Speed up the cooking with versatile, healthy supermarket convenience foods that help you turn out vibrant, healthy main dishes. The prep time for each of our featured shortcut recipes is slashed to about 20 minutes. We guarantee that these helpful tips and products will help you turn out a delicious, made-with-care meal in no time.
See More: 100 Easy Chicken Recipes

Shortcut Pizza: Refrigerated Fresh Pizza Dough
Store-bought dough yields pizzeria quality. Ask for it in the bakery of your supermarket, or check specialty retailers like Trader Joe's. In a pinch, buy dough in tubes from the refrigerated section of the grocery store (it's higher in sodium than fresh dough). Just bring the dough to room temperature while the oven preheats.
Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza
Ingredients:
1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 medium red onion, cut into thick slices
5 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons small fresh basil leaves

Preparation:
1. Position an oven rack in the lowest setting; place a pizza stone on rack. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Combine mushrooms and next 4 ingredients (through onion) in a large bowl; drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Toss. Arrange vegetables on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes.
4. Punch dough down. Sprinkle a lightly floured baking sheet with cornmeal; roll dough out to 15-inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Brush dough with 1 teaspoon oil. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce; top with vegetables. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and red pepper over zucchini mixture. Dollop with ricotta. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone. Bake at 500° for 11 minutes or until crust is golden. Sprinkle with basil.

Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango

Since mangos are in season, mangos and sticky rice is on my list. We'll be making this this week too!

(from finecooking)

2 cups whole milk
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
1/2 cup raw medium-grain white rice
Pinch salt
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
Toasted shredded coconut, for garnish

Put the milk, coconut milk, rice and salt into a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender and the pudding is reduced to about 3-1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. It's important to let the puding simmer gently, not boil, and you'll need to stir constantly toward the end of cooking to prevent scorching.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and coconut and vanilla extracts. Slowly add the cooked rice mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, making sure to scrape the bowl. Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan constantly with a  wooden spoon, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of the spoon, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the pudding to a bowl or serving dish and lay a sheet of plastic wrap right on the pudding's surface to prevent a skin from forming. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, garnished with the sliced mango and toasted coconut.

Black Bean and Mango Tostadas

It has been a while since I posted a recipe on here. I've taken a brief hiatus from cooking new recipes while we travel all over the place. But we are back for four days and I found a little time to scrounge together a quick recipe with these beautiful mangoes I bought at a discount store here in town.

These tostadas were delicious and I think even snafu'd Jared before he realized they were vegetarian. At that point, he didn't care and scarfed the rest. To Jared (and his mother's) credit, Jared is a healthy eater and doesn't mind the vegetarian dishes I throw at him as long as we get meat in there at some point during the week. This is a shoutout to my mother-in-law (and my father-in-law that would also eat anything): thanks, Anne, for teaching the boy good eating habits, and Doug, for setting the example of eating what's on your plate!

What could be better about a quick, healthy meal that's vegetarian and packs the protein? One dollar fifty cents per serving is what could be better. We loved these and actually ate them for Saturday and Sunday.

(adapted from myrecipes)

COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES Ingredient

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 8-inch flour tortillas

6 ounces grated low-fat Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar 

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

1/4 small red onion, finely chopped (2 Tbsp.)

1 tablespoon lime juice

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Combine beans, olive oil, scallions, chili powder and 1/2 tsp. salt in a bowl.
2. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tortillas on sheet and spoon bean mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
3. While tostadas are baking, combine mango, onion, lime juice and 1/4 tsp. salt in a bowl. Remove tostadas from oven, spoon mango mixture on top and serve immediately.

Note: Spice it up. If you like more heat, use pepper Jack cheese instead of plain Monterey Jack.Swap salsas. Don't care for mango or can't find one? Sub in tomato salsa instead.Go green. To add another layer of flavor, sprinkle on some chopped avocado and fresh cilantro after assembling.Put in more fruit. Mango gives the dish a touch of sweetness. Substitute or add chopped papaya, pineapple or kiwi for even more of a tropical taste.Try another base. We used small flour tortillas for these tostadas, but you can use corn tortillas if you prefer.

Ode to my Kitchen Hand Blender

I like an economic kitchen without too many gadgets to waste space (although a food processor, despite its girth, would be a handy item to add someday). So the fact that this little hand blender performs several tricks, is easy to clean, and stores in a small space, it's a perfect fit for this cook rookie.

There are few things that I use so often as my Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Blender. I love it so much that I buy it for every newlywed hoping they will get the same amount of amor, enthusiasm, and intensity as I have towards this thing.

Let me count a few ways that I love my hand blender so: 1) it mixes baby food (SO glad I didn't buy into some baby Beaba, Breeza or Bullet blender), 2) it purees soups right in the soup pot (no more pouring half your soup into a blender and returning it), 3) it whips up nut mixes and chops garlic in a jiffy, 4) it makes just the right amount of hummus or pesto for a snack or a dinner; 5) it actually chops and still comes with a  warrantee to boot). Okay, that's only five, but this means, I use it everyday. It's so handy (excuse the pun).

Anyway, what's your favorite kitchen gadget? I probably need more for my kitchen arsenal...

Homemade Power Snack

I'm not quite sure what to call these treats - they sort of taste like a Luna bar or a Power bar, except they're probably cheaper, homemade, and maybe even healthier. It does make me think though to make these for my next mountain bike outing instead of using Goo.

This recipe calls for carob powder, which is a healthy alternative for cocoa. It tastes like chocolate, but unlike chocolate, carob is caffeine-free, oxalate-free, cholesterol-free, and full of vitamins and minerals. Click here to learn more. I'm so glad I've learned about it because I love chocolate, I just don't like the way it makes me feel.

You can find carob in the baking isle. I use Bob's Red Mill Toasted Carob Powder, but any will do I'm sure. These minibars are so easy to make, and I love that they're a healthy alternative that fills that sweet tooth craving.

The fruit/nut mixture I used at the end of this recipe was anything I had in my cupboard - in this case, coconut, raisins, walnuts, almonds, flax seed, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds. So that it wasn't super chunky, I combined them all and pulsed them in my handheld cuisanart bowl first. The extra mixture that I didn't use in these treats I just saved to throw in our breakfast oatmeal or a salad. After all, you can't go wrong with a little nut mix.

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey (you could probably use Agave too, but I buy honey from town just to keep it local)
1 cup carob powder
Nuts, seeds, almonds, raisins, coconut (amount desirable)

Warm peanut butter on low until smooth. Add carob powder. Mix in the rest of the mixture.

Roasted Beet, Avocado, and Watercress Salad

Along with our "vegetarian" week, I made this salad last night. For me, beets take a little getting used to. I like to eat them more because I feel like I'm treating my body good while my taste buds come second. But, this salad was really good. I think the oranges toned down the beets for me and the dressing was great with not too much sugar. I haven't bought watercress before, but I think I'll do that again too.

The salad looked beautiful when I put it on our plates. I used a combination of both red and yellow beets (I roasted them in separate pans so the red beets wouldn't stain the yellow). The toasted pecans gave a nice crunch to the mouthful of flavor as well.

Not sure if this would be a filling enough meal (which I think it was), this salad preceded a further meal of roasted chicken and red potatoes tossed in garlic and olive oil. I liked the salad best though!

(adapted from Cooking Light)

• 6  large red or yellow beets (about 4 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4  cup  water
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  finely grated orange rind
• 1/3  cup  fresh orange juice
• 3  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 2 1/4  tablespoons  sherry vinegar
• 3/4  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  large avocado, peeled
• 3  bunches watercress (about 9 cups trimmed)
• 3  cups  orange sections (about 3 large navel oranges)
• 3/4  cup  vertically sliced red onion
• 3  tablespoons  chopped pecans, toasted 

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove root and 1 inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Cut beets in half; place beets in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Add water. Cover with foil, and bake at 375° for 45 miniutes to 1 hour or until tender. Cool; rub off skins. Cut beets into 1/2-inch slices.

Combine rind and next 6 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl. Toss half of juice mixture with beets.
Cut avocado in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 12 slices. Place watercress on a platter; top with beets, orange sections, onion, and avocado. Drizzle remaining juice mixture over salad, and top with pecans. Serve immediately.

Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Apple-Celery Salsa

This week my goal is to have way more veggies on our plates than meat. Maybe even crowd out the meat. Why? Because I want us eating more anti-cancer foods. Lentils made that list as well as spices instead of salt. So I did a search for lentils on myrecipes.com and found this soup. It was actually really good and filling (this from a husband who believes in meat for a meal). It was embarrassingly quick and easy to whip up - especially to look so gourmet with the fresh salsa on top. The salsa is the perfect completion to this soup.

Make sure you use red lentils as the green and brown lentils will create a different consistency and taste. Also, if you truly want to make this vegetarian, substitute the magic mineral broth stock for the chicken stock. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup salsa)

Salsa:

• 2/3  cup  finely chopped Granny Smith apple
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped celery
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice

Soup:

• 3 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  dried small red lentils
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1 1/2  cups  light coconut milk
• 3  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground turmeric
• 1  teaspoon  fresh lime juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

To prepare salsa, combine the first 4 ingredients; cover and chill.

To prepare soup, combine broth, lentils, and onion in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Pour half of lentil mixture in a blender; let stand 5 minutes. Process until smooth. Pour pureed lentil mixture into a bowl.

Pour remaining lentil mixture into blender; process until smooth. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, ginger, cumin, and turmeric; process until smooth. Return coconut milk mixture and remaining pureed lentil mixture to pan. Cover and simmer over medium heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon juice, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 1/4 cup salsa.

Banana-nut Pancakes

I did it! I finally made pancakes that were actually good. Like REALLY good. I think the secret is buttermilk and waiting extra long to heat my griddle. I turn the stovetop to medium for about 5 minutes and then turn it down a couple of notches for another 10 minutes or at least until I have everything all mixed up (maybe not quite 10 minutes).

We had some leftover bananas and I wanted to make some healthy banana-nut pancakes. Although these aren't completely gluten-free yadda yadda, there is some whole wheat flour in there, along with sprinkled walnuts on top. Also, I've been reducing or omitting the salt and sugar in recipes lately. We don't notice a huge difference. The recipe calls for pecans on top, but walnuts were great for that little extra crunch.
(adapted from Sunset magazine)

Notes: If desired, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon chopped pecans on each pancake after adding banana slices. Serve pancakes with butter and warm maple syrup or a dusting of cinnamon-sugar.

Yield: Makes 12 pancakes; 4 to 6 servings

• 3/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 6  tablespoons  whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  baking powder
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  large egg
• 1 1/2  cups  buttermilk
• About 3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
• 2  ripe bananas (3/4 to 1 lb. total), peeled and thinly sliced

In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk to blend eggs, buttermilk, and 3 tablespoons butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until batter is evenly moistened.

Ladle batter, 1/4 cup at a time, onto a lightly buttered medium-hot (350°) griddle or lightly buttered 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan (or use 2 pans at the same time) over medium heat. Scatter 3 to 5 banana slices onto each pancake and cook until edges of the cake look dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn with a wide spatula and cook until browned on the bottom, 3 or 4 minutes longer.

Serve pancakes immediately, or place in a single layer on baking sheets and keep warm in a 200° regular or convection oven until all are cooked.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Arugula & Prosciutto

This really might be the best pasta dish I've ever had or made. And it came together easily in 30 minutes. If you cook only one pasta dish from my site, cook this one. And I will probably say that forever. It combines several ingredients that I don't normally cook with - cauliflower, sage, arugula, prosciutto and it comes together in this amazing symphony of flavor. You'll be going mmm mm every bite.

I couldn't find orecchiette anywhere, but I used bowtie pasta instead and it was just great.

Kosher salt
One-half medium head cauliflower, cored and cut into 3/4-inch florets (3-1/2 cups)
1 pint grape tomatoes
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
9 large fresh sage leaves
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
6 thin slices prosciutto (about 4 oz.)
12 oz. dried orecchiette
5 oz. baby arugula (5 lightly packed cups)
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

Toss the cauliflower, tomatoes, oil, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper on a rimmed baking sheet; spread in a single layer. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the cauliflower begins to turn golden and tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse the sage and garlic in a food processor until minced. Add the prosciutto and pulse until coarsely chopped. Once the cauliflower is golden, toss the herb mixture into the vegetables and continue to roast until fragrant and the cauliflower is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Boil the orecchiette until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the roasted cauliflower mixture, arugula, cheese, and enough pasta water to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken Pot Pie

Jared loves pot pies and I love cooking things he loves. He devoured this one, sputtering out Bob-like sounds and phrases from "What About Bob?" I was happy to make something that was cheaper than the Marie Callender's pot pies he eats when I'm gone. I'll make these again, and I'll be better at it, because this time it took me all day long. It was a little terrible so, let me first briefly explain my journey into pot pie hell and my subsequent atonement.

I tried to half the recipe, read the wrong section and added about five tablespoons too much butter to the vegetables (but really? is it really possible to have too much butter?), and just guesstimated the sauce and kept fiddling with it, and by the time I got to the pastry, the cubed butter had already softened a little too much, and the first pastry pass was terrible, so I realized that I was wasting my life in my kitchen while my son grew up, and took an hour out to play with him before regrouping to the kitchen, throwing out the original pastry dough (the zenith of my disaster), redoing it and then all of a sudden everything - pastry, pie, and kitchen cleanup - went together perfectly and easily, the pot pies were in the oven, and I was back where I truly wanted to be - passing a ball back and forth to my favorite little man in the whole world! And Jared came home, ate, and cleaned my sorry kitchen.

I guess that's my lesson from yesterday's experience. Enjoy the small things in life - all that really matters to me at this time is being Mom. Not cooking or cleaning or all of those things. I like a tidy home and good food. But my son cares right now that I play with him and I care that I watch him learn and grow and become a little man right before my eyes. It's going too fast, and I feel like a huge wind came and blew something effervescently sweet my direction and I can't breathe in enough to cover it and experience it all before it passes so quickly.

But back to pot pies. Here are my tips for a smoother process than I had:

- If you can, chop your veggies in the morning. I like getting that out of the way
- Follow the order of instructions
- Don't take the butter out until you're ready to make the pastry
- Have a food processor handy

Those tips sound obvious, right? Well, you're a better cook than I am. But as my daddy used to say, "Good judgement comes from experience, which comes from bad judgement." One day I'll be awesome.

Adapted from my sister-in-law, Kirsti's, food blog, these pot pies are true comfort food. Kirsti is one of the best cooks I know and my initial inspiration 10 years ago to become a good cook when the time called for it.

This recipe serves a family of three, making two large bowls of pot pie, along with two small bowls of pot pie.

For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2  medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large russet potato, peeled and diced
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup chopped carrots (or more)
1/2 cup chopped celery (or more)
1 cup frozen peas

For the sauce:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the crust:
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 large egg

To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potato to the pan, and saute for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, celery, and carrots and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender. While the vegetables are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots. Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until mixed. Whisk in the chicken broth quickly after. Cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Mix in the cream (if using), the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more chicken broth to have a soupier filling if needed. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well. Spoon the mixture into 2-4 individual oven-safe dishes (such as ramekins).

Preheat the oven to 375° F. To make the crust, cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut out dough rounds to be about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of your pot pie dishes. Beat the egg with a brush, and brush the rim of the bowl - this will act as an adhesive for the pastry. Lay the dough rounds on top of the individual dishes. Pinch pastry down along side of bowl. Make a little hole in the middle of the pastry to let steam out while baking.

Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Halibut with Coconut Red-Curry Sauce

Instead of salmon (my go-to for fish), halibut was on sale, so fish night was halibut. This meal was quick to throw together and Jared and I both devoured it. It was tame enough to feed little P too. The leftovers were - you guessed it - SO good.

I also loved this meal because it worked in an additional vegetable that I seldom use - bok choy. I like to say the word. It makes me feel sort of gourmet, like "Of course I cook with bok choy. Every one knows it's the new cabbage." But that wouldn't be true at all, would it? I wouldn't know because I'm truly a cook rookie. I didn't learn how to cook growing up, I spent my twenties eating in the delectable restaurants all over the world, and then I hit my thirties, got married, had a family, and found myself on the fast course to being a handy, economic, healthy chef for my family. It's been two years and I love finding good meals for my little family.

That's a little story just for the HALIBUT. Get it? Oh, so witty.

• 2  teaspoons  canola oil, divided
• 4  (6-ounce) halibut fillets
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped green onions
• 1  tablespoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1  cup  light coconut milk
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  fish sauce
• 3/4  teaspoon  red curry paste
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lime juice

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion, green onions, and ginger; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and the next 4 ingredients (through coriander). Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and juice.

Seasoned rice with bok choy: Combine 1 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cup basmati rice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes. Stir in 2 cups chopped baby bok choy; cover and cook 8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil; stir into rice mixture.

Beef and Black Bean Chipotle Chili

When Jared is out of town, I go on cooking strike. Little P and I eat simply - pbj, salads, and oreo cookies. I also do my fair share of treating myself to a restaurant. But something is happening to me. On Saturday when I decided to go to Wendy's for chili, I thought - heck, why leave when I can whip it up right here and I know exactly what went into my chili and I'll have leftovers to boot? So I did, and it was easy, and another recipe from Fine Cooking has made it into my cookbook. We've eaten it all week and the flavors just keep getting better!

3 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained ( I subbed a can of pinto beans)
1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium chipotle plus 2 Tbs. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce)
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
Kosher salt
1 large red onion, finely diced
1-1/2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ripe avocado, cut in a medium dice

Put one-third of the beans into the bowl of a food processor, along with the tomatoes and their juices, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or similar heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering hot, about 2 min. Add the beef, season with 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until it loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large plate using a slotted spoon. Add half of the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown and soften, about 3 min. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for 20 seconds. Add the remaining black beans, the puréed bean mixture, and the beef to the pot and simmer for 10 min., stirring frequently. Add half of the lime juice, half of the cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. If the chili is thicker than you like, it may be thinned with water.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining lime juice and onion with the avocado. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve the chili topped with the avocado mixture and remaining cilantro.

Additional ideas: Coarsely crumble about 3 handfuls of tortilla chips in a zip-top bag, and use them as an additional chili topping. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese to tone down the zip.

Breakfast Burritos

Since we eat mostly fresh here at home, I haven't quite figured out how to use coupons at the store. The coupons normally seem to be for prepackaged items, but I really am hoping to become more economical as time goes on. BUT, when I do find a recipe that I enjoy and that I can use coupons to buy the ingredients, I'll do it and share it. This one is made with sausage and Ore-Ida hashbrowns. You can coupon clip for this meal right? Even better!

I grabbed these from a friend's blog. They sounded really good, and they went together in a snap this morning and really were delicious! I even froze the other half so Jared has a quick meal to take to work with him. I know a breakfast burrito is easy, and the Ore-Ida hashbrowns with peppers and onions already mixed just gave me extra idea for what to do with those left-over potatoes in the future.

Does it go without saying that my son loved the hashbrowns while I fixed Jared and my burritos?

(from http://www.elliseats.blogspot.com/)

For 4 burritos:

1/2 a bag of Ore Ida "Peppers and Onion Hash Browns" fried up in a pan
1/2 lb of ground sausage browned
6 eggs scrambled with salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese (mexican blend, cheddar, whatever suits your tastes)
4 uncooked tortillas, cooked

Assemble the fixings inside a tortilla, splash with a little hot sauce. Freeze what you don't use.

Shanghai Beef and Broccoli

Shang low, Shanghai you won't find a better beef and broccoli dish at a restaurant. This is not because I'm a fab cook, I just found a good recipe on finecooking.com, one of my go-to sites. Every time I make this, it turns out delicious. Leftovers are maybe even better. Each serving is only 360 calories. 360 calories of pure asian spicy goodness.

Although it's a somewhat spicy dish, we mixed some of the juice up with the brown rice, and my 11-month old scarfed it right down. Of course, he would eat the refrigerator if he could, but that's besides the point.

If you don't have dry sherry on hand, use one part vanilla to three parts sherry (i.e., the recipe calls for 3 Tbs dry sherry, so I substituted only 1 teaspoon. You can taste the vanilla a little bit, but it seems like a good substitution. Or you could google other subs as well.

If you like a little ginger, a little red meat, a little spice, and broccoli, this is your meal for tonight - plus it goes together super fast.

1 small flank steak (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb.)
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. cornstarch
Kosher salt
3/4 lb. broccoli crowns, cut into 2-inch florets (to yield about 4 heaping cups)
1/4 cup canola or peanut oil (I use coconut oil; healthy and I love the essence of coconut in the beef)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
2 Tbs. oyster sauce

Bring 2 quarts water with 2 tsp. kosher salt to a boil.

Slice the steak in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin slices. In a medium bowl, stir 1 Tbs. of the soy sauce with the sherry, cornstarch, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the steak, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and then rinse under cold water until the broccoli cools.

Set a large, heavy skillet or a large wok over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 Tbs. of the oil and, when it starts to shimmer, add the beef. Cook the beef, stirring frequently, until it loses most but not all of its raw color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and the garlic, ginger, chile flakes, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and 3 Tbs. water and cook, stirring to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the broccoli warms through, about 1 minute. Stir in the beef, the oyster sauce, and the remaining 2 Tbs. soy sauce; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

I serve this up with brown rice on the side, but you could use noodles too or salad or anything that fits your fancy.

Besties Double Chocolate Pudding

This chocolate pudding is really, really good! Discovered in my friend's (Jenn) fridge at a college reunion, I've made it ever since. And I just made it again and I forgot how addictive it is. I can't even wait for it to chill and become pudding, I keep grabbing spoonfuls tonight.

If you're one of those people who buys a Ben & Jerry's pint and finds yourself at the bottom of it an hour and a half later (read: lack of self control over sinful desserts), then you might not want to make this. If you revel in a full pint of Ben & Jerry's, then make this! Not that it tastes anything like Ben & Jerry's - it's just that that would be my other dessert vice. Probably not a dessert to let your children or husband in on, because like Jenn's fridge pudding, she didn't get any of it, because her besties ate all of it. Oh well - at least we left her house clean...

Note that the recipe calls for Dutch-processed cocoa which is cocoa where the acid has been neutralized. You can probably buy it at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. I just use my regular Hershey's cocoa plus a couple of pinches of baking soda. The actual ratio for making dutch processed cocoa from natural cocoa is to add a pinch of baking soda (1/8 teaspoon) per 3 Tablespoons of natural cocoa. I just estimate.

(from: http://www.marthastewart.com)

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes, plus chilling 

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus shavings

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks. 

Whisking constantly, heat over medium until the first large bubble sputters, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate; stir until smooth. 

Place plastic wrap on surface of pudding (to prevent a skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days). To serve, whisk until smooth; divide among serving cups, and garnish with shavings.