friends in the kitchen

Pasta with Greens and Things

2012-01-22T23:44:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to teach myself to cook with cooking greens over the last few months. They've not really been in my repertoire, but they're so nutritious, I decided I wanted them to be. This is currently my favorite thing to do with greens:

Ingredients:

Two bunches cooking greens (all the same or a mixture): kale, collard greens, chard
A few handfuls of Italian parsley
Half pound bite-sized pasta (rotini, penne, fusilli, etc.)
olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
a couple of tablespoons oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
a couple of tablespoons of pine nuts
lemon wedges
feta cheese

Method:

Remove stems from greens. Wash and dry (use salad spinner), then coarsely chop.
Wash and dry Italian parsley. Remove stems.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil with minced garlic. Then add greens and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender.
While greens are cooking, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
When greens are tender, add parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, white beans. Reduce heat to medium, stir frequently, until parsley is wilted and everything is hot.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat, stirring (or shaking) frequently. Remove from heat at first sign of browning.
Toss greens mixture with pasta.
To serve, mound pasta on a plate or bowl. Squeeze lemon over the top. Sprinkle with pine nuts and feta.

Jennifer's Focaccia

2011-11-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Jennifer's recipe. It's fast and easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

4 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
minced garlic, to taste
minced rosemary, to taste
extra olive oil for brushing top, extra salt for sprinkling on dough
a bit of cornmeal (coarse, polenta-style is best)

In a large bowl, mix water, yeast, and sugar; wait a few minutes then check for frothy bubbles. Add olive oil, flour, and salt. Knead until a satiny ball forms. Place into an oiled bowl and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare baking sheet by sprinkling with cornmeal. Punch down dough, transfer to baking sheet, and stretch and pat to desired shape/size. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, minced garlic and rosemary. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.

Variations: I've added sundried tomatoes, olives and pinenuts for a more flavorful flatbread. I've also made the bread using half whole wheat flour, then omitted garlic and rosemary, for a plainer bread.

coconut sweet rice

2011-06-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

I love rice pudding. One of my all-time favorite desserts! But I haven't been tolerating dairy well these days, so no rice pudding for me. But, a fabulous meal at my friend Amy's, which included a savory coconut sticky rice, gave me an idea. I experimented yesterday with great success!

Into my rice cooker I threw:

1 cup short-grain brown rice (would have liked to use white, but didn't have any on hand)
1 can light coconut milk (trader joe's)
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
portion of vanilla bean

I let it cook until the rice cooker turned off, fished out the cinnamon stick and the vanilla bean, served hot. Delicious. If not using a rice cooker, I think you'd bring to a boil, then simmer until liquid is absorbed.

When (not if) I make it again, I'll play around with the spices. The cinnamon overpowered the vanilla--not in a bad way--but I'm not sure the vanilla bean added much. I may try again without the cinnamon, try a bit of ground cinnamon instead, try some lime zest and vanilla, etc.

If you're interested, the original recipe for the savory coconut rice can be found here.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

2010-11-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

I signed up to have the missionaries come for dinner, and since we have elders, that meant we also got to invite chaperones. Anyway, I forgot that they always have to eat so early, and so by the time I got home from work, I had thirty minutes to prepare dinner for six (me + roommate + 2 missionaries + chaperoning couple). Since this soup basically involves opening cans and stirring a pot, it was the perfect choice. And it's nutritious and pretty tasty. :) I've nicknamed it "Can Opener Soup."

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 can chicken or veggie broth
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pumpkin puree
½ cup milk or cream (or half and half)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
Salt to taste

Crock pot: Toss everything in the crock pot except the milk or cream. Cook on low 4-8 hours. Add milk or cream just before serving.

Stove top: Heat oil in a deep pot. Add onion and sautee until tender. And broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir in milk or half and half, curry powder, cumin, cayenne and a few generous pinches of salt. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Serve hot.

notes:

If I have curry paste on hand, I use that instead of curry powder. 2-3 teaspoons, to taste.
note: can = 15oz. can

Indian lentils

2010-06-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

This has become a family favorite served with rice. I'm passing on the recipe of a friend. You can find her recipe blog here. I've modified it a a bit. It is a very flexible recipe.

Indian Lentils

* 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

* 1/2 red pepper diced

* 1 can coconut milk

* 1 Tbsp. Cumin

* 1/2 Tsp. Turmeric

* 2 tsp. Garam Masala

* 2 Cups Dry Lentils

* 1/2 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bullion

Simmer on stove until lentils are as tender as you like them 45-60 minutes or so. I always lose track of time. Or put this all in your crockpot and let-er cook until it's all soft and good. (2.5 hours on high in my big crockpot)

chili lime chicken kabobs

2010-06-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

This isn't my recipe, but it is pretty tasty with black beans and rice. It is the chili lime chicken kabobs at http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 lime, juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
cayenne pepper to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
skewers

Directions

1.In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce, and stir to coat. (I used a plastic ziploc bag for mixing and marinating. Much easier clean up) Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.

2.Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade.

3.Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear.

Freckled Lemonade

2010-04-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

We live in Orange County where we have plenty of oranges, limes, tangerines, and lemons in our backyard. Well, I don't have any citrus trees, but I have friends whose trees grow too many for them to consume. I love not to sweet lemonade, so I made some with less sugar, and decided to give it a try to make the Freckled Lemonade from Red Robin. Here's my recipe.

3/4 C sugar

1 + 2 C water

3 C ice, crushed

5-6 lemons to make 1 C lemon juice (our home grown ones were gigantic and I only used 3!)

1 C fresh strawberries, crushed (I used my blender on chopping mode)

1. Warm 1 C water and sugar in a small sauce pan until sugar melts.

2. Roll the lemons on the kitchen counter, half it, and squeeze the juice out over a sieve to catch the seeds. Repeat with the rest of the lemons until you get 1 C.

3. Add lemon juice and 2 C water & 3 C ice (more or less depending on your preference). The original recipe asks you to chill the syrup (step #1), but I don't have that much patience.

4. Add crushed strawberries. Makes about 2 quart.

recipe request

2010-02-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

My good friend Kara just bought a condo. The girl doesn't cook. She has plenty of other great qualities, but admits she barely knows her way around a kitchen. I decided to make her a starter recipe binder as a housewarming gift, and want to fill it with recipes that are quick and easy. She'd probably especially like any recipes that involve frozen and/or canned ingredients. :)

I realize this isn't really the group of people to hit up for stuff like this, but I'm going to ask anyway, just in case anyone has recipes to share. You can go ahead and e-mail them to me. Thanks!

chunky baked applesauce

2009-12-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

With apples in abundance all over the farmer's market, I've been experimenting with lots of apple dishes. I loved how this one turned out. It's a great way to use apples that are bruised or blemished--the kind they sell at a discount at the farmer's market.

Preheat oven to 350F.
Peel, core, and coarsely chop apples--enough to fill an 8" x 8" casserole dish. I used golden delicious and red delicious, because that's what I had on hand. I think it would be good with any sweet apple.
Add 2 TBSP sugar, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground anise; toss well to coat. Add 2-4 TBSP water to the bottom of the dish.
Cover (I don't have a covered casserole dish, so I covered mine with foil) and bake until apples are very tender--about 1hr--stirring once or twice during the baking.
(Optional): if you want a saucier texture, after cooking, mash apples with a potato masher or puree with a hand blender. But I thought they were perfect just as they were.
Serve hot or cold

Note on anise: lately I've been substituting half of the ground cinnamon in any recipe with ground anise. It adds a subtle sweetness, and gives your kitchen a delicious licorice smell while your dish is cooking. The cinnamon is still the stronger flavor, but the anise adds a nice touch. If you don't have anise on hand, you can just use 1 tsp of ground cinnamon.

mincemeat(less) pie and yam'n apples

2009-11-26T23:08:00.000-08:00

Mincemeat is one of my favorite pies. I made one for Thanksgiving this year. We were with the in-laws and I wanted some of my family tradition represented in the menu. So my husband's sister made pumpkin and berry pies and I showed up with the mincemeat.

Don't be afraid, it is apples, pears, and raisins. I think that historically it had suet or something else, but that is not the way grandma made it. You can use the filling to top oatmeal or yogurt or many other things. I posted the recipe here on my blog.

There is also the recipe for the family favorite, yam'n apples. The traditional recipe calls for boiling the yams and apples. I might try roasting for the yams as least.

When I called home this morning for a little chat with the clan my sister in law gave me her fool proof pie crust recipe. I tried it and it was fabulous, flaky, crisp. I'm not much of a pie crust maker so this was fantastic.

Fool proof pie crust

2 rounded cups of all purpose flour
1 cup shortening or lard
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon of salt, optional

1. Add flour and salt to the mixing bowl and remove 1/3 cup flour. Add this 1/3 cup flour to 1/3 cup water to make a paste. Stir paste until smooth.

2. Using a pastry cutter or food processor cut shortening in to flour in the mixing bowl.

3. Add flour paste and mix until a soft dough is formed. This dough will be much wetter than a traditional crust dough.

4. Roll and bake.

pear and bitter chocolate cake with almond whipped cream and raspberry sauce

2009-11-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

Last night I made this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Have I mentioned already that I love this blog? It's won several awards, and I approve because every recipe I've tried has been delicious. And she's been at it for a couple of years now, so there are lots and lots of recipes in the archives.

The pear and bitter chocolate cake did not disappoint! I made a few changes from her recipe:

I decided I wanted a lighter, less-rich cake, so I substituted 1/4 cup olive oil for the 1/2 cup browned butter.
I added a bit of vanilla extract to the batter.
I used very dark chocolate instead of bittersweet. I loved the combination of only slightly sweet chocolate with the sweetness of the pears.

She recommends topping with whipped cream flavored with a little almond extract--and, being the vanilla lover that I am, took this suggestion but added both almond extract and vanilla extract to the whipped cream. I served with raspberry sauce. Oh my, it was good.

raspberry sauce

2009-11-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

I love how a drizzle of raspberry sauce on an otherwise ordinary dessert ups the fanciness factor. The tartness of the sauce makes it a great accompaniment for something quite sweet. It couldn't be easier to make.

Empty a bag of frozen raspberries into a medium saucepan.
Add about 1/2 cup water.
Add about 1/4 cup sugar--more or less to taste.

Cook over medium high heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Serve warm or cold over ice cream, waffles, or anything else that sounds appealing.

Laura's Herb Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

2009-11-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite meals.

Ingredients:
2-3 cups (about 1lb) cubed white meat chicken, uncooked (I generally use breast tenders)
5-6 medium orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper (more of less to taste)
2-3 cloves minced garlic, or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. savory
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 c. each dried cranberries, golden raisins, coarsely-chopped dry roasted almonds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Place chopped sweet potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl or casserole dish. Add a few tablespoons water, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power for 10-12 minutes. (Alternately, blanch the sweet potatoes in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Remove before they become tender.) Drain water.

Combine potatoes with chicken, add oil, seasonings, and fruit and nuts. Toss well to mix.

Bake in 350F oven for 30-35 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

I typically use this as a main dish, and serve with salad and bread. I've also made this as a side by omitting the chicken, dried fruits and nuts. It's a nice alternative to the typical super-sweet Thanksgiving sweet potatoes.

Spicy Pumpkin Waffles

2009-10-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

This morning I told my son we could make waffles for breakfast. "Yeah!" He exclaimed. "Pumpkin ones!" So I poked around on the internet for a minute and found a pretty tasty pumpkin waffle recipe. The waffles are very tender--not crisp at all. I think the batter might work just as well for pancakes. I am going to put the recipe the way I made it today, but maybe to get a better texture for waffles next time I might divide the eggs and beat the whites and use a touch less milk. But the flavor was delicious, and they are pretty healthy.

1 c all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ginger
1. t. cinnamon
1 pinch salt

Combine dry ingredients.

Blend together:
2 eggs
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 2/3 c. milk
1/4 c. oil

Stir in dry ingredients and cook on your waffle maker. Made 14 4 inch waffles.

virgin mint julep

2009-10-18T00:27:00.000-07:00

Experimented with making virgin mint juleps at a party tonight, and the results were actually pretty good!

Wash and pluck leaves from one large bunch of mint. Discard stems. Place mint in blender with enough water to cover well. Blend on high speed until very smooth.

Strain mixture into a large pitcher using a fine mesh sieve or several thicknesses of cheesecloth. Add juice of 2-3 limes.

We used about one cup of powdered sugar to sweeten. If I make this again, I'll sweeten with simple syrup (one part water/one part sugar), and probably use a little less sugar. It was a mite sweet for my taste. Add water and ice to fill the pitcher.

Serve over ice. Garnish with mint sprigs if desired.

(Something in me seems to think this would be fun to garnish with maraschino cherries. Is that too much?)

Golmeh Sapzi (Persian Herb Lentil Soup) - serves 6

2009-09-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

About 2 summers ago, we had Persian neighbor and the mother was a great cook. She showed me how to make great Persian food and later I searched the internet and found this recipe that was closest to how she did it. I made this for the women's broadcast dinner, and it was a hit. Several sisters asked me for the recipe. I hope you will like this as much as we do.

Ingredients:
8 oz green lentils, washed and drained
6 cups water (or you can use chicken broth)
2 lamb bones (I usually omit this)
2 TBS lemon juice
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp tarragon
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp turmeric
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 tsp bulgar wheat (If you can't find this, it's optional. But I love
bulgar wheat and I usually triple it.)
1 TBS spinach, finely chopped
1 TBS cilantro, finely chopped
1 TBS green onion, finely chopped
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Plain yogurt to serve

1. Bring water to a boil in a deep pan.
2. Add all the ingredients (from lemon juice to black pepper) and boil
rapidly for 15 minutes until frothy.
3. Remove froth with a spoon and discard.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
5. Use immersion/blender to puree the soup to desired consistency.
6. Serve hot with dollops of yogurt and enjoy!

Some tips on the herbs:
a. You can chop and freeze green onion and cilantro. These frozen
herbs work great with soups and casseroles.
b. You can substitute 1 TBS of fresh herb for 1 tsp of dried herb
(and vice versa) depending on the availability.

Seared Peach Pancakes

2009-09-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to put this recipe up for a while since we are in the midst of peach and nectarine season. It is my favorite pancake variation. Hmm. Except for blueberry, maybe.

Seared Peach Pancakes

Sliced peaches, cut crosswise into rings
2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking soda
3 eggs
1 3/4 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted
1 T. malt or apple cider vinegar

Slice the fruit about 1/4 inch thick cutting around the pit to form rings. In a bowl combine the batter ingredients and whisk smooth. Place a small amount of butter on a hot griddle and place a peach ring on the butter. Flip it over and then pour about 1/4 c. of batter over each peach slice. Cook until pancakes are bubbly, then flip. Serve with butter and syrup or powdered sugar.

*My sister also makes these with apples. Core the apples and slice them into rings. They need a little more time on the griddle before adding the pancake batter.

Website recommendation

2009-09-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

Given that most of the recipes posted here are relatively healthy, I thought you might all be interested in a website I just came across: 101cookbooks. She's got a lot of recipes on the site, and they're made with whole grains and a variety of produce. Including the desserts! Anyway, maybe someone will find it as useful as I do!

Big soft ginger cookies

2009-09-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

My favorite cookies for fall and winter. They work best when you roll them in little balls and then roll in sugar. They get a nice crispy out side and soft chewy inside. You can also roll them out for cookie cuttering.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teasp. ground ginger
1 teasp. baking soda
3/4 teasp. cinnamon
1/2 teasp. ground cloves
1/4 teasp. salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablesp. sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses. Combine dry ingredients. Mix. Add to butter. Roll into 1 inch diameter balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 9 minutes. Cookies should be a little underdone so that they stay soft.

Pilau

2009-09-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

My book club read Caravans by James Michener this month. We usually have a food that is mentioned in the book or goes with the theme some how. The traditional rice dish, pilau, is mentioned many times in the story so I made a little so that we could try it. These are not flavors I usually cook with, but I liked it. I'll experiment a little more with the recipe, but it is a good starting point.

We also had naan, although it was not baked over a camel dung fire. I'm sure it was missing something because of it.

The recipe I looked at is found here. But this is what I did.

Some of the changes were because I was missing the ingredient (cumin, saffron, basmati rice) or to make it more book club friendy and less greasy. This makes a LOT.

Pilau

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cardamon
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. salt
6 cups water.
3 cups white rice
1 T vegetable oil
4 carrots coarsly grated or julienne
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
Saute onions in 2 T olive oil. Add spices. Cook until it smells fantastic. Add rice and a little more oil. Saute. Add water, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes until rice is cooked. Add a little more water if needed to that the mixture is not dry. Saute carrots and sugar in olive oil. Plump raisins in hot water, drain, and add to carrots. When rice is almost done stir in carrots and raisins.

This is what I will do next time:

Ingredients
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large chicken breasts cut in thin strips
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cardamon
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. salt
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups low sodium chicken broth, more as needed to keep the mixture moist

1 Tblsp. vegetable oil
4 carrots coarsly grated or julienne
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup sliced almonds toasted

Directions:
Start by browning chicken in a skillet with oil. When almost done, add onions and continue as above.
You could probably substitute all of the individual spices for an equal amount of garam masala since it is a mixture including the spices listed.

Polenta with Mushrooms and Peppers (aka, Sunday night save)

2009-08-02T20:41:00.001-07:00

I had friends over for dinner tonight, and had planned to make penne with mushrooms. I prepped the other dishes, then at around 4pm (with guests due to arrive at 5pm), started the pasta. Only to look in the cupboard and realize I had all of about 1/2 cup of pasta, which would certainly not feed six people. I went through a couple of ideas, and then settled on making polenta and layering the mushrooms on top of that. I figured that, even if it was a little spotty, we were still having homemade bread, a salad with delicious heirloom tomatoes, and cherry pie for dessert, so I was okay. It ended up being the best thing on the table, and is a meal I would certainly make again. Here's what I did:

Polenta: To four cups boiling water, add 1 cup coarse cornmeal, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tbsp butter or olive oil. Cook on med high until boiling, then lower heat and simmer until soft and thick.

Mushrooms: In a separate sautee pan, add olive oil (probably 2-3 tbsp, but I didn't measure), 3-4 cloves garlic (minced or pressed), 1/2 onion (diced or minced), and 1 sweet pepper (diced). I happened to have the peppers on hand from my farm box--they made a nice addition. Cook until onion is translucent. Add about a pound of sliced white mushrooms, and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and begin to release their juices.

Spread the polenta in a rectangular casserole dish, then top with mushroom mixture. Cover with grated parmesan cheese. I finished it off in a 350F oven for about 15-20 minutes, although I don't think that would be strictly necessary.

It was delicious--am already looking forward to tomorrow's leftovers!

Pizzelles

2009-07-30T22:00:00.001-07:00

Tuesday I was on my way to my copy of Laura's delicious graham cracker recipe when I got side tracked by these. They are the perfect summer cookie, light and crisp and great with ice cream. You do need a pizzelle iron to make them, but the cupboard space it takes up is well worth it.

Find the recipe here.

Graham Crackers

2009-06-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite food blogs. I've tried a number of her recipes, and loved each of them. Her narratives of how to cook each item are interesting to read, and the photography is so beautiful. The woman makes cherry pits look artistic.

A few weeks ago she posted a recipe for homemade graham crackers, which I decided I had to try. You can see from the picture that I did not take the time to make mine beautiful like she did, but they were still awfully tasty. Really, really good, actually. I may never eat a graham cracker from a box again!

She also posted a recipe for homemade marshmallows. I admit to being a little intimidated by them, but I am going to try to make them anyway sometime this summer. And then, as I am a firepit-less urban dweller, hopefully one of my suburban friends (takers?) will invite me to bring my treats over to roast the marshmallows and make smores. Yum--smores!

Spinach and Bowtie Pasta Salad

2009-06-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

A perfect, light summer dinner.

Spinach and Bowtie Pasta Salad

16 oz bowtie pasta
1 bunch of green onions chopped
2-3 c chicken cooked and diced
6 oz peanuts - regular or honey roasted
6 oz craisins - options
1 bunch of spinach
2 cans mandarin oranges

Dressing:
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c teriyaki
2/3 c white vinegar
6 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Make dressing. Marinate pasta, chicken and green onions in dressing 2-3 hours before serving. Add rest of ingredients toss, and serve.

Balsamic Chicken with Creamy Herb Sauce

2009-06-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from a friend from UCLA. It was actually in a cookbook that was compiled from our favorite recipes. It is simple and yummy!

6 skinned chicken breast havles
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange chicken in a single layer in dish. Pour balsamic vinegar over chicken. Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Place garlic cloves, unpeeled, in dish. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, basting occasionally with drippings.

Remove garlic from dish and peel. Place garlic in a small bowl and mash into a paste. Add;

1/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp water

Put in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat and stir with wish until well blended and warm.

Serve sauce over chicken. You can double the sauce recipe (don't forget to double the garlic too) and serve over rice or mashed potatoes. It was delicious!!

polenta lasagna

2009-05-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

I tried something new tonight and it turned out pretty good. There may be a real name for it, but I don't know what it is.

Polenta Lasagna

Firm polenta

1 cup polenta
4 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons onion powder

Cook slowly over medium heat until thick. Approx. 20-25 minutes. You may need to add more water if the polenta thickens to quickly.

Pour into forms and let cool until firm enough to slice. I used mini loaf tins for the forms.

Sauce

1 can petite diced or crushed tomatoes - soup can size
1 large or 2 small onions chopped
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon beef bullion
italian seasoning
garlic powder

Saute mushrooms and onions in a little olive oil. Add tomato and seasonings.

Slice polenta into 1/2 inch pieces. Cover bottom of 8x8 pan with a small amount of sauce. Add a layer of polenta, sauce, polenta, sauce. Top with cheese and bake until heated through. Approx 30 min at 350 degrees.

Baking the polenta with the sauce adds flavor to what can otherwise be a rather bland food.

Kindergarten Cooks

2009-05-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

My kindergartener's teacher put together a cookbook for the Mother's day. It is a collection of what kindergarteners told the teacher how to cook their favorite food. It is really cute and I thought you might enjoy this. LOL

Eggs Sandwich with Jelly and Toast
- Malik Lawal

4 eggs
1 bottle of grape jelly
4 pieces of toast

First make the toast. Put it in the toaster until the hot is 9. Then make the eggs. Crack them and bake them on the stove in a pot for at least 10 seconds. Then put jelly on the toast and the egg in the toast. Then they are egg sandwiches. It's so good! It's delicious!

BBQ Meat
- Adam Abdella

Food for the basket
BBQ sauce
Steak

Take the bread outside and hear a noise. Chase the ducks and give them bread. Then take meat from a box and take it outside at night. Put meat on plate and put in the BBQ. The BBQ cooks it with black lines. Put barbeque sauce on it and eat it all!

Cupcake
-Lilly Zhaho

Cupcake

Put jelly beans on the cupcake. Anything is yummy on a cupcake. Yummy!

Cinnamon Roll
-Connor Tallakson

Cinnamon rolls

Put it in the microwave and it's done. Cook for 40 minutes or 10 seconds. Get it from the refrigerator from a box. The frosting is white and yummy.

Macaroni and Cheese
-Issac Kim

Yellow and white cheese
Orange pasta

First put some macaroni and cheese in the pot and put a little bit of cheese. Then wait and wait for 5 minutes. Eat it! You will be full!

Cheese Quesadilla
-Asher Lee (this is my boy!)

Big bag of flat bread
5 little meatballs
Buy the cheese I like

Pick one big flat bread. Then cook it in a pan for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes are done put in some brown stuff that looks like little meatballs (he's trying to describe refried beans). Then put 5 scoops of cheese inside. Put it in a sandwich bag because I don't have a "casa"dilla bag! Eat it!

Glazed tofu

2009-05-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is really just the first part of this recipe, but it works well on its own with a little rice and some veggies, without the work of a full veggie stir fry.

Glaze:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 container extra-firm tofu , cut into 24 triangles
1/3 cup cornstarch

1. Whisk glaze ingredients in small bowl; Set aside.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. While oil is heating, sprinkle cornstarch evenly into baking dish. Place tofu on top of cornstarch and turn with fingers until evenly coated. When skillet is hot, add tofu in single layer and cook until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn tofu with tongs and cook until second side is browned, 4 to 6 minutes more. Add glaze ingredients and cook, stirring, until glaze is thick and tofu is coated, 1 to 2 minutes.

note: toasted sesame seeds would be a great addition. I used a broth that was already flavored with coconut and curry. It was delicious.

grapefruit ice

2009-05-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is a sweet sour slush perfect for the hot summer days like we had last week. Unfortunately we are back to cold and rainy today. It seems rather elegant but it is SOOO easy.

Trader Joe's Ruby Rio Grapefruit juice blend. Freeze. Break up with a fork.

This juice is even better frozen. The blend of juices cuts the bitterness of the grapefruit and adds a little more sweetness as well as more color.

Granola, Sour Cream Bran Muffins

2009-04-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

I guess I was in the mood for healthy grains last night, because I made granola and bran muffins. Both are stand-by favorites of mine—the granola is great with plain yogurt. I guess these aren't technically dinner recipes, but I hope you enjoy them all the same.

5K Granola
2 C oats
1 C slivered almonds
1/2 C shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 C wheat germ
1/4 C flax seed
1/2 C honey
zest of 1 orange
1 t almond extract
1 C dried fruit

Combine first seven ingredients. Mix all the ingredients together and spread evenly onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 300°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until light brown, stirring after 20 minutes. Stir in dried fruit. Cool. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week or in freezer bags for up to 2 months.
195 calories per 1/2 C

You can play around with the addition of the orange zest, almond extract, etc. Whatever sounds good to you will work. I've done it successfully with those orange infused cranberries from Trader Joe's.

Sour Cream-Bran Muffins
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1/4 C brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 C sour cream
1/4 C molasses
1/2 C raisins
1 C whole wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C wheat bran

Put rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 12 muffin cups.
Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 mintues. Beat in egg, sour cream, and molasses. Stir in raisins. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and bran in another bowl. Add to sour cream mixture and stir until just combined (batter will be lumpy). Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling them two-thirds full. Bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, 20 minutes. Turn muffins out onto rack to cool.
Makes 12 muffins | 200 calories / muffin

quinoa with apricots and pine nuts

2009-04-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

I made a yummy quinoa salad last night that was inspired by a recipe in Raising the Salad Bar, a cookbook I bought a few months ago.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1/3 cup or so dried apricots, chopped
3 or 4 sprigs of cilantro, minced
3-4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
olive oil
1/2 to 1 lime
salt
pepper

1) Cook 1 cup quinoa in two cups water: boil, then allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
2) Chill cooked quinoa in refrigerator (I put it in the freezer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently).
3) To cooled quinoa add a couple of tablespoons of oilve oil, the juice of 1/2 or 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste.
4) Mix in apricots, cilantro, pine nuts, and onions.

Pulgogi

2009-04-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am a Korean American and I know how to make Pulgogi. Korean don't eat pulgogi everyday. This is a special meal for birthdays, parties, and guests. We usually serve pulgogi meat with green/red leaf lettuce and bean paste (you can find it in a green tub in Korean market). There are plethora of recipes out there, and this is my favorite so far.

Pulgogi

2lb pulgogi meat (tenderloin, sliced thin*)
1C dried shitake or any other mushroom of your choice
1/2 onion, sliced
1 bunch sesame leaves, sliced long (optional)
2 green onion, sliced 2 in long
2 TBS sesame seed, crushed
oil for cooking

Marinade:
1/2C soy sauce, 2/3C sugar, 1/2 onion, 1/2 stalk celery, 1 green onion, 1-2 dried chilies, 5 cloves garlic, 1 piece ginger, 5 peppercorns

1. In a small pot, put soy sauce and sugar until sugar melts on medium. Add chopped marinade veggies and simmer. When onion absorbs soy sauce and becomes brown, sieve veggies and toss. Set aside flavored soy sauce and cool.
2. Marinade pulgogi meat & shitake in marinade sauce for 20 min - 1 hour. (if using fresh mushroom, add it with onion in step 3.)

3. Saute onion, sesame leaves, green onion on high heat about 2-3 min. Reduce the heat to medium-high.** Add meat and cook through. Garnish with sesame seeds.

* You can find thinly sliced pulgogi meat at Korean markets. If you're not close to a decent Korean market, use beef tenderloin or fillet. Slightly freeze the meat (1-3 hours depending on thickness) and you will be able to slice it thin. Less than 1/4 inch thick is ideal.

** Koreans prefer pulgogi with broth in it. If you prefer to have less broth, cook the meat at high heat. The heat will seal in the juice.

Cornmeal Scones

2009-03-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

From this month's Better Homes and Gardens, with some tweaks:

2 cups flour (I was out of white flour, so I used whole wheat. I'm assuming the color is prettier with white flour)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. cold butter, cubed
1 c. milk or buttermilk
Buttermilk or half and half, plus coarse sugar for the topping.

Laura's addition (optional):
1-2 tsp finely grated orange zest (more or less to taste)
1 c. black currants

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a baking tray with oil.
In a large bowl mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
If desired, add orange zest and currants.
Add milk or buttermilk and stir with a spoon until moistened.
Turn dough out onto floured surface; gently knead a few times.
Roll out to 1/2-3/4" thickness. Cut into triangles.
Place on baking tray. Brush with buttermilk or half and half, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake in 425F oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to rack to cool.

I bagged these up for grab and go breakfasts.

Penne with Mushrooms

2009-03-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

This is one of my stand-bys--a tasty, filling meal that can be prepared in just a few minutes. Works great with leftover pasta. I generally use whole wheat penne, but any bite-sized pasta would work well.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking:
Heat olive oil (1-2 tbsp) in a large skillet.
Add 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced.
Add about 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms.
Sautee until mushrooms are very tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add cooked, drained pasta, and heat through.

Serve with grated parmesan.

I'll bet this would also be good with some spinach sauteed along with the mushrooms, and toasted pine nuts added just before serving.

poultry rub?

2009-03-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have a recipe for a poultry rub?

Summer Salad

2009-03-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

Like Alison, I've also been in the mood for summer food. I eat a lot of salads in the summer. They're perfect, since they require no heat for preparation. :)

I picked up the Brazil custom of seasoning salad in the bowl. To your lettuce leaves add a good drizzle of olive oil, a splash of vinegar or lime (I prefer balsamic vinegar), a sprinkle of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Toss, taste a leaf, and adjust seasonings if required. You'll have to experiment a little at first, but it's easy and fast once you get the hang of it.

I add the salad goodies to the serving bowl or plate after seasoning the lettuce leaves. I generally add at least one type of fruit and one type of toasted nut, and often some flavorful cheese.

Some favorite combinations:
1) sliced pear with toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan
2) dried cranberries with slivered toasted almonds
3) sliced strawberry with toasted pistachios and crumbled blue cheese

Watermelon-Lime ice

2009-03-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

I know it is barely spring, but I am in the mood for summer food. So here is one of my summer favorites just to whet your appetite.

1 watermelon
1 can of limeade concentrate, defrosted

1. Cut up and remove the seeds from the watermelon (or use seedless watermelon).
2. Run it all through the blender. I find it easiest to start with the limeade and add chunks of watermelon. Leave a little liquid in the blender and add more chunks until you have done the whole thing.
3. Freeze. An ice cream freezer would be fantastic or freeze in a shallow pan. When mostly frozen, scrape with a fork to fluff it up and freeze again.

This is a great way to use a watermelon that tastes a little flat and isn't as good as you want it to be. The lime and the extra sweetness really help a lackluster melon. You can eat it straight like a sorbet or float it with lemon-lime soda. This recipe was originally for margueritas so go ahead and try it that way if you like.

Only a few more months to wait. Sigh....

Red Velvet Cake

2009-03-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

I get most of my baking recipes from this Korean-American lady (Mrs. Yun Watts). This is a translation from her website plus my own pictures. Enjoy!
1/2 C shortening/butter, room temperature
1+1/3 C sugar
4 egg yolk/2 large eggs, room temperature
1 oz bottle red coloring
1 tsp vanilla
1 C buttermilk, room temperature
1 tsp vinegar
2+1/4C cake flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Icing: Mix room temperature 1 stick cream cheese and 16 oz vanilla flavored whipped icing. (I guess you're supposed to use butter icing for red velvet cake, but Mrs. Watts recommends cream cheese icing and I have to agree with her.)

1. Preheat oven at 350 F.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, salt, & b.s.) in a medium mixing ball. Mix buttermilk & vinegar and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, blend butter to creamy consistency. Add sugar and blend. Add egg little bit at a time and blend until creamy.
4. Add food coloring to the batter and mix with spatula. (Yes, the whole bottle! I only bake this for Valentine & Christmas, so I don't feel too bad using so much food coloring. Use McCormick brand. I tried other brands, and the color bleeds horribly on to the plate, utensils, and your tongue!)
5. Once it's mixed in, blend well. (This prevents the coloring from splashing everywhere.)
6. Using a spatula, mix in 1/3 dry ingredient, mix in 1/2 buttermilk+vinegar mixture, mix 1/3 dry ingredient, mix in rest of the buttermilk mixture, and finish with the rest of the dry ingredient.
7. Spray two 8 in round pans and pour 1/2 the batter in each pan.
8. Bake for 30 min. Take out the cake when it’s a little bit cooled.
9. When the cake is completely cooled, slice the round top to make it a flat sheet of cake. Set aside the top part.
10. Spread icing between two sheets and cover. Grate top part in a sieve and sprinkle the cake crumb on the cake. (With cupcakes, I just roll the icing part of the cupcakes in a bowl full of cake crumb.) Decorate with pearls (optional).

welcome new cooks!

2009-03-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Two new cooks just added: Kristin is a friend of Jennifer G's. I haven't met her but look forward to her posts! And Jean is a friend of mine (Laura) from LA. She makes amazing Korean food!! Welcome, ladies! If anyone else has a friend who's interested in posting, feel free to add them (let me know if I still need to enable admin privileges for you) or let me know and I'll be happy to add.

Thanks for all the great recipe ideas. Keep them coming!

Yellow Thai Curry

2009-03-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here is my recipe. I have also made it with sweet potato, which I love but Mike doesn't. I also like to add a little pineapple juice to the sauce, and I like to garnish it with shredded coconut. Also, the longer you let the coconut sauce simmer, the creamier it will be, so you could probably cook the potatoes all the way in the sauce instead of nuking them. I just do that to speed the process up. You can use the same basic recipe for different colors of curries, too. Masaman paste + coconut milk= Masaman Curry, etc.

Yellow Thai Curry

1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
*1-2 t. yellow curry paste or more, depending on how hot you like it.
2 T. sugar or more or less, depending on how sweet you like it.
1 chicken breast, sliced into small pieces
1/4 c. onion
1 potato, diced
1 carrot, sliced
½ c. red pepper, sliced
½ c. pineapple

In a large pot, sauté onion. Add curry paste. Whisk together paste and coconut milk. Add sugar and bring to a boil. Add uncooked chicken and allow to boil for ten minutes, until chicken is cooked.

Meanwhile, microwave potato and carrot until fork tender. Add to chicken mixture. Add pepper and pineapple and cook until hot and pepper is cooked. Serve over rice, garnished with coconut.

You can also make this with shrimp, but shrimp only need to be cooked for 3 minutes and become tough if over cooked.

*You must make this with yellow curry paste, which can be hard to find. Check at an Asian market or grocery store. Curry powder does NOT work the same, and Indian curry is a totaly different thing.

speaking of thai...

2009-03-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Speaking of thai food, does anybody have a good curry recipe? Betsey and Chard?

Thai-style Sweet Potato Bisque

2009-03-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

A recipe I found on better homes and gardens' website, slightly modified:

In a crock pot, combine:
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp red curry paste or 2-3 tsp curry powder
2 gloves garlic, minced
5-6 large sweet potatoes, coarsely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 2-inch piece fresh lemongrass (I couldn't find fresh, so I used dried)
2 tsp graded fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/8 tsp salt

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove from heat, puree until smooth. Add one can unsweetened coconut milk.

The original method is here: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/sweet-potato-chowder/. I guess they don't puree all of it, so they call it a chowder. I pureed the whole thing, so in my mind it became more of a bisque. Either way. I think it would also be good with pumpkin instead of sweet potato. I put everything in the crock pot the night before, plugged it in before leaving for work in the morning, and had hot soup when I got home from work late that night. Perfect!

By the way, does anyone know where to find fresh lemongrass? I was disappointed that the lemongrass flavor wasn't stronger, and I suspect that's partly due to the fact that I used dried.

Christina's Fried Cracker Chicken

2009-03-07T00:03:00.000-08:00

Fried Cracker Chicken

Chicken breast
2 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 c. flour
salt
pepper
cracker crumbs

Place your chicken breast between a double layer of cling wrap and pound flat with rolling pin until quarter inch thick.
Dip breast into beaten eggs then into flour, salt & pepper mix
Dip back into eggs and then into cracker crumbs
Fry on Med High heat in oil for 2-3 minutes on each side.

I like to eat mine with avocado and a little lime juice.

Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger-Oyster Sauce

2009-02-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

I was looking for tofu recipes and found this one. I don't have a lot of experience with this type of cooking but it turned out great.

From the web site:

When coated with cornstarch and stir-fried, tofu develops a crisp exterior and a creamy interior. Most tofu is sold in 12- or 16-ounce blocks. To cut tofu for a stir-fry, hold a chef's knife parallel to the cutting board and cut the block in half horizontally to form two rectangular planks. Cut each plank into six squares, then cut each square diagonally into two triangles. This stir-fry cooks quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before you begin cooking. Serve with steamed white rice.

Serves 3 to 4

Glaze:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

Sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Vegetables:
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 container extra-firm tofu , cut into 24 triangles
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups carrots (sliced), or other longer-cooking vegetable from the chart below
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup snow peas or other quick-cooking vegetable from the chart below
1 pound leafy greens from chart below
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. Whisk glaze ingredients in small bowl; whisk sauce ingredients in separate small bowl. In third small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Set bowls aside.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. While oil is heating, sprinkle cornstarch evenly into baking dish. Place tofu on top of cornstarch and turn with fingers until evenly coated. When skillet is hot, add tofu in single layer and cook until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn tofu with tongs and cook until second side is browned, 4 to 6 minutes more. Add glaze ingredients and cook, stirring, until glaze is thick and tofu is coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer tofu to plate; rinse skillet clean and dry with paper towels.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth and cover skillet; cook until carrots are just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds. Transfer carrots to plate with mushrooms.

4. Heat remaining teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add snow peas and bok choy stems or napa cabbage cores and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add leafy greens and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 1 minute. Push vegetables to sides of skillet to clear center; add garlic-ginger mixture to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon or spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir mixture into greens.

5. Return all vegetables to skillet along with sauce. Toss to combine and cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and vegetables are coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, top with sesame seeds, if using, and serve immediately.

Choosing and Preparing Vegetables for a Stir-FryPortobello mushrooms and eggplant are the mainstays in our stir-fries. As for the other vegetables, use those called for in the recipe or switch them with another vegetable from the same category below. We recommend using one harder, longer-cooking vegetable paired with quicker-cooking vegetable and a leafy green (either napa cabbage or bok choy).

Longer-cooking vegetables (to yield 2 cups)
4 small carrots, peeled, sliced on bias 1/4 inch thick
1/2 pound broccoli, stalks discarded, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 pound cauliflower, core removed, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
1 pound medium asparagus, bottoms trimmed, cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed, cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch lengths

Quicker-cooking vegetables (to yield 1 cup)
1 medium bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 ounces snow peas, strings and tough ends trimmed
3 medium ribs celery, ends trimmed, cut on bias 1/2 inch thick
1 small zucchini or summer squash, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and cut on bias 1/4 inch thick

Leafy Greens (to yield 2 cups stems and 4 cups greens)
1 small bok choy or napa cabbage (about 1 pound), stems/cores and greens separated, stems/cores cut into 1/4-inch strips, greens into 3/4-inch-thick strips

Fresh pasta

2009-02-27T21:37:00.001-08:00

On a rainy afternoon I decided to make pasta. It definitely isn't right for the quick after work dinner. It was a fun and I got three dinners out of it. I used the same sauce and the cheese filling for each dinner. Buddy boy (age 3) thought it was a lot of fun. More pictures here.

1) linguini
2) lasagna rolls (Thanks to Alison for the idea)
3) regular lasagna
These noodles are great in chicken soup.

Pasta recipe:

1 pound semolina flour

5 eggs

a little olive oil if needed

This makes a lot of pasta - adjust down by using 1 egg for each 0.2 pounds flour.

1 - Mix flour and eggs and a little oil if needed to make a stiff dough. It should be workable but not sticky.

2 - Knead dough

3 - Cut dough into 1/2 inch slices.

4 - Run through pasta roller on setting 1 folding dough in thirds and repeating until dough is smooth.

5 - Run dough through roller moving settings down until desired thickness is reached.

Cheese filling:

1 1/2 - 2 cups each low fat ricotta cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, grated parmasean cheese

1 egg

1 cup fresh chopped basil

Sauce:

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon beef bullion

1 - slowly brown onion and garlic

2 - add tomatoes and bullion

Layer pasta, cheese, and sauce in layers or rolls. Refrigerate or freeze for later if desired. Bake covered at 350 until bubbly (time depends on size and starting temperature.) Top with grated mozzarella cheese and return to oven until melted.

tortilla soup

2009-02-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for a good recipe for tortilla soup and I finally found what I feel is the perfect one. My friend posted this recipe on her blog and so I tried it and it was fabulous.
Enjoy

2 dried ancho chilies or 1 Tbsp Ancho chili powder
2 Tbsp canola oil6 corn tortillas (blue or yellow)
1 Onion; chopped
4 Garlic cloves; minced
8 cups chicken stock (reduced-fat) or veg stock
2 cups tomato puree (I used a can of 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes and threw them in the blender)
1 Tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp oregano
¾ tsp. salt
2 limes, juiced

Optional Garnishes:
Grated Monterey jack cheese,
Avocado, diced
Sour cream
Minced cilantro
Diced cooked chicken

Remove stems and seeds from ancho chilies. Place chilies in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain chilies, let cool, then puree in a food processor or blender. While chilies cook, cut up two tortillas into small pieces. In a large saucepan, sauté tortillas, onion and garlic in 2 teaspoons canola oil until onions are soft. Add ancho pepper puree or chili powder, chicken stock, tomato puree, cumin, oregano and salt to saucepan. Bring soup to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Puree soup in a food processor and return it to saucepan. Stir in lime juice and reheat. Slice remaining tortillas into ¼ in x 2 in strips. Heat remaining oil in a medium skillet. When oil is hot, add tortilla strips and sauté until crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer tortilla strips to a paper towel to drain. Ladle soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese and garnishes, as desired.

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-02-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorites. It is generally a pleaser--most people seem to love this kind of combination. My sister claims you can use cream of chicken soup and frozen vegetables to good effect, too, but I have never tried it. I figure if I want this for dinner, I want it all home made.

Chicken Pot Pie

Gravy:

4 T. butter
1/2 c. flour
14 oz. can of chicken broth
1 ¾ c. milk
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 T. white wine
pinch of nutmeg
lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste

Make a roux and cook for 1 minute. Add liquids and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute at boiling, then add seasonings and chicken. .

Pot Pie: (I admit that I don't usually measure the vegetables exactly--I just chop up as much as I think looks good).

1 medium onion, diced
1 ½ c. carrots, chopped
½ c. celery, chopped
¾ c. peas
½ c. corn

1 recipe for biscuits, see below.

Sauté onion, carrot, and celery until tender. Add peas and corn, then stir into the gravy mixture. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Top with biscuit or other dough, cut into squares. Brush biscuit dough with a beaten egg. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, until biscuits are golden and sauce is bubbly.

Biscuits

Combine
2 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. salt
Cut in 1/2 c. butter
Add 2/3 c. milk all at once.

Stir until barely moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few strokes. Avoid handling the dough too much. Pat into a rectangle and cut into squares with a pizza cutter. Place on top of pot pie.

If you are making these as a side, bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Ginger chicken

2009-02-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

I made this tonight for the first time. I got the recipe from a friend awhile ago and it is a good as I remember. It is also quick and easy to prep. I'll put in her original recipe with my notes.

I made a half recipe and used 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs and it worked out well.

Ginger Chicken

1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8-12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root.
2 chickens (3 1/2 pounds) quartered with backs removed (or use chicken pieces already cut up)

1. Warm the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small sauce pan over low heat until honey is just melted. (I minced the garlic and ginger together in my food processor. Quick and easy. I heated the sauce in the microwave in my pyrex measuring cup for about 90 seconds and it worked out fine.)

2. Divide chicken between ziplock freezer bags in meal size portions and divide sauce evenly over chicken. Mix in bag to coat.

3. Place in a bowl and refrigerate overnight or freeze for later use. (I didn't marinate overnight. The sauce is flavorful enough that it was still good.)

4. Preheat oven to 350. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a baking pan with 2 inch sides, skin side down, and pour the sauce over to come slightly less than half way up the sides of the chicken. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan. Turn the chicken skin side up, and raise temp to 375. Continue baking, uncovered for 30-45 minutes or until done. (I baked uncovered for approx. 1 hour. I did turn the chicken half way through even though it was skinless.)

The sauce from the baking pan is excellent over rice.

brown sugar cookies

2009-02-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

This is a type of cookie I have never tried before and never really seen before, but it includes some of my favorite things, brown butter (think English toffee) and brown sugar. These are in no way a light dessert, but are sugary little butter bombs. It is a pretty no frills cookie, but very tasty with a crisp outside and a chewy inside. YUM

The recipe comes from www.americastestkitchen.com

The most efficient way to bake these cookies is to portion and bake half of the dough. While the first batch is in the oven, the remaining dough can be prepared for baking. Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned. Use fresh brown sugar, as older (read: harder and drier) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.Makes 2 Dozen Cookies

14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will take 3 batches.)

5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone; see photo below), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Step-by-Step: Checking Doneness
Achieving the proper texture—crisp at the edges and chewy in the middle—is critical to this recipe. Because the cookies are so dark, it's hard to judge doneness by color. Instead, gently press halfway between the edge and center of the cookie. When it's done, it will form an indent with slight resistance. Check early and err on the side of underdone.

black bean soup

2009-02-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

I tweaked this recipe from the Black Bean Soup recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It's a great "throw it together before church, eat it when you get home" meal.

Place one cup dry black beans in a medium bowl, add 4-6 cups water (beans should be well covered). Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, drain and rinse beans. Throw them into a crock pot along with:
2 cups chicken broth (I use 2 cups water plus the appropriate amount of "better than bullion," which comes in a jar)
2 cups water
1 chopped onion (I generally use dehydrated chopped onion)
2-3 stalks chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppper
Let it cook for 4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 on low
(optional: top with shredded monterrey jack cheese in serving bowls)

If you want, you can blend some of the soup before serving--it will help to thicken the soup. Or if there's no blender handy, smooshing some of the beans with a big spoon would work. Another note: the coriander is absolutely essential to this soup's flavor. If you can freshly grind the coriander in a spice mill or coffee grinder, so much the better. You can use canned black beans in a pinch, but it tastes much better with freshly cooked.

Bon apetite!

Laura's bread

2009-02-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

My recipe is tweaked from Amy's aunt Karen's recipe. This is the perfect size to make in the kitchenaid standmixer bowl. I wrote this out a while ago with long narrative instructions suitable for a novice. I know some of you are veteran bread-bakers, and I did by no means intend to insult your intelligence. Anyway, here's what you do:

Attach the dough hook to the standmixer.

Proof the yeast:
Heat 1 cup of water until just warm (1 minute in the microwave works well). Add the water, 1/2 tablespoons of yeast, and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the mixer bowl. Stir it briefly with a fork or a whisk, and let it sit for about five minutes. Is it frothy? Can you see little bubbles? If so, your yeast is fine, and you can move on to the next step.

Once your yeast is proofed, proceed to make the dough:
Add to the mixer bowl 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir. Next add about three cups of flour, 1/2 to 1 cup at a time. Stir with dough hook after each addition. Can be wheat flour, white flour, or a mixture. I prefer 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 unbleached white. Try adding 1/2 cup of coarse ground whole wheat flour or cornmeal for texture (but note this replaces only about 1/4 cup of regular flour).

Once all the flour's in there, let your little stand mixer go to town. Lock the head in place, put it on about a "4" speed, and let it go for a few minutes. Leave it completely unattended if you want! It's kneading and your hands are clean! Hooray for technology!

Check on your dough. If it's still sticky, add more flour until it makes a nice, smooth dough. If there's still a lot of unincorporated flour around the bowl, trying adding a teaspoon of water at a time, while mixing, until most of the flour is incorporated.

Now it's time to rise!
Turn on your oven to its lowest setting. Let it warm up for a few minutes, then turn it off. (If the weather's hot you can probably skip this step.) Put the dough in a medium/large bowl you've sprayed with olive oil spray. Put it in your nice, warm oven and close the door. Let it rise for about thirty minutes or so.

Check on your dough. If it's considerably bigger than when you last saw it, then it's time to move on to the next step. It it's not, then turn the oven back on/off like before to warm it up, and give the dough more time to rise. If it still doesn't get big, then the yeast somehow gave up. Time to make flat bread.

The fun part: time to shape your dough. Flour a work surface. Turn out the dough onto the surface, and knead it a little to get it into the shape you want. Lately I've been making big rounds of bread and baking them on a baking sheet. You can also roll your dough out to make flatbread or pitas (although the baking times are different). Spray olive oil spray in/on whatever pan or baking sheet you're using before you plop the dough on.

Once your dough is shaped, put it back in the oven. (Warm it up again if it needs it.) Let it rise for 20 or 30 minutes. This rising usually takes less time than the first, since you don't want it to be gigantic at the end. After it's nicely risen, turn the oven on to 350 F. A loaf should take about 35 minutes. You know it's done when the crust is golden and it sounds hollow when thumped.

You're supposed to let it cool for a while, and truthfully, it is easier to slice if you can. But I can never wait that long for my first slice with butter and jam.

Aunt Karen's bread recipe

2009-02-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

In a large bowl, mix:
3 3/4 c. warm water
2 tablespoons yeast

Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix:
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil or melted butter
2 eggs
4 tsp. salt

Add sugar mixture to yeast mixture, then add 10 cups of flour. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 30-45 minutes, or unitl doubled. Split dough into pans, shape and allow to rise for about 45 minutes, or until it looks right. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Yields 3 loaves.

Bread recipe

2009-02-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hey Laura, will you post my Aunt Karen's bread recipe on here? I can never seem to hold on to it!

Chili

2009-02-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

I stole this chili off my friend Keersten's website this week and made it last night. I ate it with Trader Joe's cornbread (from a mix) and it was so tasty! Perfect for a winter night. It's a little on the spicy side for me—text time I'll cut the amount of cayenne in half. Enjoy!

ingredients:

1 lb. hamburger

1 small onion, diced

3 cans of beans (I usually use 2 chili and 1 kidney, but feel free to experiment.)

1 can diced, stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2 cans diced green chilies

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

1 bay leaf

2 cloves (I actually use ground clove and eyeball it.)

directions:

1. In a large stock pot, brown hamburger and drain.

2. Add green chilies and onion and saute until onion is translucent.

3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 45 min- 1 hour.

4. Top with grated cheese and sour cream.

some recent meals: random fried rice, maple butternut squash, meringues

2009-02-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

I am a little embarrassed at Jenny's praise for my black bean soup, since the recipe is actually just the one from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Seriously, that was a great investment of $6 (I love amazon.com used books). Although I'm sure I doctored it a little.

I improvised with some leftover brown rice the other day and quite liked the results. I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, then added rice, frozen peas (defrosted), toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries, curry powder, pinch of cumin, salt, pepper. It really hit the spot.

Tonight I tried making butternut squash the way my friend Karolyn does: with a bit of maple syrup. Hers was sweeter, so I'm guessing she uses more maple syrup, but even my less sweet variety was pretty tasty. In a baking dish I added cubed butternut squash, a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of maple syrup, salt and pepper. If I'd been able to find the worcester sauce, I would have used a splash of that instead of the salt.

I tried meringue cookies for the first time this week. They were easy, tasty and very pretty. Here's the thing that gets me, though--2 egg whites makes about two dozen cookies. Well, two egg whites about two cups of sugar. So they're pure sugar and you can't eat more than one without getting sick. Still, they look like pretty puffy clouds!

Cheeseburger Hoagie Sandwhich

2009-02-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

This is simple and YUMMY. One of my new favorites. Serve it with oven fries, or corn on the cob or any veggie really. It goes with anything!

12 ounces lean ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed/minced
1/4 c. ketchup
2 tsp. yellow mustard
4 slices reduced-fat cheese
Canadian steak seasoning (I added this since we put it in our cheeseburgers)
4 Hoagie Buns
lettuce, chopped (if desired)
tomatoes, chopped (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown beef, onion and garlic together (plus steak seasoning if using it). Add ketchup and mustard and 1 (recipe says 2) slices cheese. Stir til cheese melted. remove from heat. Fill Hoagie buns with meat mixture. Top sandwiches with remaining cheese. Bake hoagies on cookie sheets for 6-8 minutes - until cheese is melted and buns are toasted on outside. Top with lettuce and tomatoes if desired. Serve immediately.

The great thing about this recipe is that you don't have to make it so light - but you can. So, for my sandwhich I used the low-fat cheese, for my husbands I used regular, non-processed cheese. Both were delicious. We also did not use any lettuce or tomatoes. Yummy this way too.

Laura's Black Bean Soup

2009-01-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Jenny Lofgren and I know Laura from UCLA. I met her through our Church there, and am so grateful to know and be affiliated with such an amazing woman!!!! I just wanted to let you all know that Laura has a REALLY GOOD and simple black bean soup recipe. She gave it to me and I made it the other day. It was fabulous. The only thing I did different, was instead of mashing some of the black beans at the end (since I don't have an immersion blender) I added a can of refried black beans to thicken the soup and I added a 1/2 tsp more of corriander. Laura, you should post that recipe for everyone. And thanks for starting this blog!!!

Cranberry chicken

2009-01-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

This feels like fall, Thanksgiving or Christmas, to me but it is also great cold on a salad the next day. So it is a good light spring/summer dish as well. The friend I got this recipe from calls it Yummy Chicken. I have to agree.

4-6 chicken breasts
1 can whole cranberries
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 small can crushed pinapple
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon

1. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish.
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Top chicken.
3. Bake 350 for 1 hour.

Cornbread

2009-01-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

I love this with butter and honey. Also, leftovers are delicious toasted in the toaster oven and topped with the same.

1 c. flour (I use half white, half wheat)
1 c. of cornmeal
2-4 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1⁄2 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1⁄4 c. cooking oil

Grease bottom and sides of a 9x9 baking pan. Stir together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix until moistened. Spoon into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes at 425.

Lentil Sausage Soup

2009-01-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

Another warm soup recipe for winter time. I throw the sausages in and let them cook in the broth, then pull them out and dice them up and them put them back in. It goes delightfully with cornbread (see my next post)

1 1/2 c.-2 c. dry lentils
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 T. minced fresh thyme leaves (or less of the dry)
1/2 t. ground cumin
2-3 stalks of celery, sliced
3-4 carrots, diced
6 c. chicken broth (one of those huge cans)
3-4 c. water
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 links of Italian turkey sausage
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.
In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for a few minutes, add the celery and carrots and sauté for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the sausage and red wine and simmer until the sausage is hot. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Quiche

2009-01-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

I am happy to share my quiche recipe, but I don't have a picture this time. It is one of my favorites. I usually make my own pie crust, but you can also just buy a pre-made one as well. I routinely change the veggies and meat--I like deli ham just as well as bacon, or you can trade in mushrooms if you want it to be vegetarian, and will also trade spinach or broccoli for the asparagus. Sometimes I will use just cheddar cheese instead of the Swiss. And most of the time I use pre-cooked bacon instead of cooking it myself. Personally, I like to steam the veggies for a few minutes before putting them into the quiche because that allows me to squeeze out some of the moisture which keeps the quiche from getting watery. And of course, fresh herbs always enhance the dish (rosemary is one of my favorites, especially when coupled with mushrooms and asparagus).

9 inch pie crust
8 bacon slices, crisply cooked and crumbled
1 c. Swiss cheese
1 c. Fontaine cheese (or use 2 c. Swiss, or some Gruyere )
10 asparagus spears, cooked and chopped
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. half and half
1 t. ground mustard
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
1/8 t. pepper

Mix eggs, half and half, mustard and peppers. Blend well. Layer bacon, asparagus, and cheese evenly in the bottom of pie crust. Pour egg mixture over cheese etc. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

requests: Alison's quiche

2009-01-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

If you've no objection, can you post your quiche recipe?

Question - tofu recipes

2009-01-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

I have been using more tofu lately and I need to expand my selection of tofu recipes. I usually add it to pasta or use it to extend meat in recipes like orange beef. What do you like to do?

BBQ pork sandwiches

2009-01-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

I really do cook things other than pork, but here is another recipe that has become a Sunday favorite now that we have church in the afternoon. It is more of an idea than an actual recipe.

2 pounds pork loin cut in 1 inch slices
1 part BBQ sauce
1 part ketchup
1 part teriyaki sauce (I like Soy-Vey brand. It is thicker and has sesame seeds.)

The sauce quantities are pretty rough. You can play with this a lot with different ingredients and proportions. Use enough sauce to barely cover the meat and cook in slow cooker for approximately 4 hours. Meat should shred easily with a fork. Serve on crusty rolls.

Old Favorite

2009-01-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

Ham and Cheese

This has become our new old favorite around here. It makes for a great lunch or even dinner when it is paired with a salad or soup.
Recipe:
2 slices of bread scraped with butter
sliced cheddar cheese
thin sliced deli ham

Place on slice of bread, butter side down, on a griddle or frying pan turned to medium low heat. Layer on cheese. Heat ham on griddle until hot, then layer on top of the cheese. Top with the other bread. Grill until golden brown, then flip and finish off. The goal is not quickness, but to time the toasted exterior with the complete melting of your cheese. Yum.

Slow-cooker roast

2009-01-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hello! My name is Amy and I know Laura from when we both lived in Los Angeles (although I should have known her when we were both at BYU—we had the same major and lived in the same apartment building for a while). I'm surprising myself by posting to this blog...my own blogs have not been updated in far too long! But I made a tasty roast in the slow-cooker yesterday and thought I would share. I used a 2 lb roast and threw some baby carrots and smal red potatoes in on top. I kept the amount of liquid the same, and it seemed to work out. Watch the cooking time if you use a smaller roast, though. Mine was slightly overdone. Enjoy!

Roast with Gravy
Prep: 10 min., Cook: 8 hrs. Remember, don't lift the lid. Each time you do, heat is lost, and you'll need to cook 20 to 30 more minutes.
Ingredients
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup
1 (10 1/2-oz.) can condensed beef broth
1 (1-oz.) envelope dry onion-mushroom soup mix
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb.) eye of round roast, trimmed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Stir together first 3 ingredients in a 5 1/2-qt. slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle roast evenly with flour, salt, and pepper. Brown roast on all sides in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Transfer roast to slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours.
4. Remove roast from slow cooker; slice to serve. Skim fat from gravy in slow cooker, if desired. Whisk gravy; serve over roast.
Makes 6 servings

double chocolate mint cookies

2009-01-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

For Alison, and all my other friends who like chocolate and mint.

With mixer, cream together:

1 stick butter
1/3 c. olive oil
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract

Add 1/4 c. cocoa powder, and mix until smooth

In a separate bowl combine:
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add flour mixture to mixer bowl, mix until dough is homogeneous in appearance
Mix in 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Refrigerate dough until ready to bake. Drop dough on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes in a 35OF oven. Allow to cool slightly on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack.

Notes: the dough keeps well in the fridge for several days. I usually make half a batch at a time, which yields about 20 cookies. The cookies freeze well: I often divide these up into snack-size plastic bags--two or three cookies each--throw them all in the freezer, and then pop one into my lunch bag in the morning. They're perfect by lunch time.

strawberry salad and navy bean soup

2009-01-19T15:04:00.001-08:00

More of an idea than a recipe... Saturday I topped a bag of baby spring mix from Trader Joe's with sliced strawberries and toasted pine nuts (I buy them raw and toast them in a skillet on the range top, agitating frequently, until they just begin to brown). I think this would be best with poppy seed dressing or balsamic vinaigrette. The strawberries with the deep greens were such a tasty combination.

I also made a big pot of navy bean soup--combined navy beans (soaked overnight) with chicken stock, chopped carrots, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Threw it in the crock pot around 1pm, set on high, by 7pm it was piping hot. I mashed the beans a bit with a potato masher. To the leftovers today I added some turkey sausage that I browned--and that really improved upon an otherwise rather plain soup.

BTW, Betsey, is that you adding the labels? Thanks to whoever it is. Super good idea!

sweet mustard pork chops

2009-01-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

Here is another pork chop recipe. I think it would also work well for chicken. Sorry, no pictures. I'll add pictures of things as I make them. It definitely adds. This recipe is from America's Test Kitchens. They have a PBS cooking show and publish Cooks Illustrated magazine.

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless pork loin chops
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup apple juice or cider (spiced cider would also be good here)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
pinch cayenne pepper

1. Brown chops well in a skillet.
2. Mix remaining ingredients together. Pour over chops when they have browned.
3. Cook on low until liquid reduced and thickens.

Lasagna Rolls

2009-01-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

One more post. A couple of nights ago I made lasagna rolls, a recipe I got from Giada Da Laurentis on Food Network. Also, I have to say that the reason I have pictures of my food is because we happen to keep our camera on the kitchen counter, and it has been kind of fun to snap a picture when a dish is finished. I have made the exact recipe before and it was great, but I wanted something a little easier this week so I simplified the recipe by not doing the bechamel sauce and using marinara instead. Also, I had prosciutto in the freezer, but it looked suspect when I got it out, so I tossed it and used thin sliced deli ham instead. I think you could also try other ingredients for the filling, like mushrooms, sausage, mozzarella, etc. It is a fun twist on regular lasagna, it isn't any more work than making the real thing, and it is easier to serve.

Borscht

2009-01-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 c. beef or vegetable broth
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. steamed beets
2 t. red-wine vinegar
1/4 c. sour cream
1 T. horseradish
1 T. chopped parsley

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to brown, four minutes. Add broth, potato, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer, covered, until potato is just tender, about 8 minutes. Add beets and vinegar, return to a boil. Cover and continue to cook until broth is deep red and potato is very soft, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Combine sour cream and horseradish in a small bowl. Serve soup with a dollop of horseradish sour cream and sprinkle with parsley.

As far as turnips go, my mom always used to cube them up along with potatoes and use them in mashed potatoes. I recall that it was quite delicious.

Beets

2009-01-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

Ha! I bought beets this week, too, because I just got a magazine with some beet recipes I wanted to try. Both recipes call for steamed beets. To steam beets, peel with a vegetable peeler, cube or wedge, steam 10-15 minutes in a steamer basket on the stove top or 8-10 minutes on high in a covered glass dish with 2 T. water in the microwave.

First: Brown Sugar Glazed Beets

3 T brown sugar
2 T orange juice
1 T butter
1/4 t, each salt and pepper
3 c steamed cubed beets

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large non-stick skillet. Cook over medium until melted and starting to bubble. Stir in beets and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated and the beets are coated with the glaze, 6-8 minutes.

Borscht recipe coming later. Sylvie calls.

I originally posted this under comments, but realized I should put it up on the main page since it has a recipe.

turnips and beets?

2009-01-16T22:19:00.000-08:00

I bought turnips and beets at the co-op the other day. I've never cooked a turnip or a beet--does anyone have any good ideas? Roast with garlic and olive oil?

glazed pork chops & rice

2009-01-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hi - I am also Alison. I met Laura when we were both in Davis, California going to school. I am a dietitian, but not the food police, and I like food, but I am not a foodie. My food style is a little Utah pioneer (no Jell-O), a little Mediteranian, and a little Californian. I'll call myself Ali for this blog so that we can tell the difference between me and Alison, maker of marvelous minestrone.

This sounds like a lot of fun. Every day around 4:00 the question pops up. What's for dinner? I'm trying to do a little better this year, more variety mostly. I've been keeping track of what I have been fixing this year here. It helps me to have a little accountablity.

Here's the recipe. It's one I got from my Father in law.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless pork loin chops - I buy pork loin on sale and slice it myself
1 or 2 onions - sliced
1/2 cup juice - apple, white grape, or Trader Joe's spiced cider
1 cup + 2 1/4 cups chicken broth - can also use low sodium
1 c brown rice - I like brown rice, wild rice mixes. Trader Joe's has good rice mixes or Lundgren.
1-2 Tablespoons butter (optional)

1. Cook rice according to package directions in 2 1/4 c broth
2. Brown chops over high heat in heavy bottom skillet, not non-stick.
3. When well browned on one side, turn over and top chops with onion slices and pour in 1/2 c juice and 1 c broth. Liquid should come to the top of the chops but does not need to cover them.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer until liquid reduces to a sticky goo. (at least 45 minutes, an hour or so is even better resulting in more tender chops.)
5. Remove chops and onions from pan. Add butter to deglaze the pan. Add rice and mix.

-Ali

Minestrone

2009-01-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

This is such a fun idea--thanks, Laura, for starting this up. To introduce myself--my name is Alison, I love to cook and hate to do dishes. We have been eating a lot of soup at our house lately--it is a cold weather favorite for me. We had minestrone last night, which is delicious and healthy, and I was really pleased with how it turned out. I served it with French bread and salad. I don't do soups with a measuring cup, so I am not going to put measurements--just adjust your ingredient amounts to how much you want to make. Just make sure you don't put in too much pasta with too little broth.

Saute garlic, onion, diced carrots and celery until slightly soft.
Add beef broth and water, cannelini beans, diced tomato, and turkey Italian sausage (I used links and just dumped them in whole and let them cook all the way through, then pulled them out, diced them up, and added them back in).
Twenty minutes before serving add green beans and diced yellow pepper.
Ten minutes before serving add chopped fresh basil and a handful of little pasta--I used the tiny shells.
Season with salt and pepper and any other Italian spices you like.
Place chopped up fresh spinach in each bowl and laddle hot soup over it.
Garnish with shaved parmesan.

Jens's response: I love this soup, Mom! It has beans and sausage! And he ate all the vegetables, too.

a blog is born

2009-01-12T22:00:00.001-08:00

Thanks, friends and fellow cooks, for being up for starting the blog with me. I'm looking forward to ideas for good meals. Here's what I envision for our blog:

1) the focus should be on sharing ideas for weeknight meals--not glamorous holiday meals, just something you make or have made recently for dinner.
2) feel free to post the recipe, but if you're not a recipe cook, just give a basic idea of ingredients and directions.
3) the focus here is on nutritious foods without overly-processed ingredients (which I know is how all of you cook, but just to set this as a ground rule as future authors are added)
3.5) dessert postings are free to meet a slightly lower nutrition threshold
4) questions posts are welcome.
5) you're welcome to invite other blog authors

authors: please add other guidelines if you wish

and... feel free to play around with the formatting and template, add pictures (Jennifer G.--that means you), add links, etc.

Oh, plus, I know all of you... but you may want to introduce yourselves to one another.