What is wrong with me? I can't believe that it's September and the last time I posted on here was May. I have made some things that were good to eat since then but obviously didn't record any of them here.
Most recently, we enjoyed Chaos in the Kitchen's Stuffed Pepper Soup, yummy, easy, and not too bad for you. We loved stuffed peppers and this had all the flavors and none of the hassle. Check it out.
Last night, we had an old standard and one that we didn't eat for about a year because CJ isn't a big fan of eggs. However, in the last few months, he has changed his mind about eggs in this dish...what we affectionately refer to as "Breakfast Scramble".
Breakfast Scramble - all amounts can be adapted to use what you have...I'll list what we used last night, which serves 3-4, especially if you serve something with it, muffins, pancakes, scones, etc.
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
Frozen hashbrowns
7 eggs, beaten with a little milk and salt and pepper
1 can Rotel, drained - you can use mild if spicy food isn't your thing
Shredded cheese - whatever you've got
Brown sausage in large skillet (non-stick makes clean up easier). Add a layer of hashbrowns. Cover and cook until just cooked through. (Stir occasionally so that the sausage doesn't burn). Push sausage and hashbrowns to one side. Add eggs to empy part of skillet and scramble. Gently mix with sausage and hashbrowns. Stir in Rotel. Heat through. Top with cheese, cover and let melt. Stir together and serve.
I even ate the leftovers for lunch today. Delicious, easy and fast.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Anyone can do this
Not many things make our menu on a regular basis. Well, there are some exceptions to that. Since Phil and CJ cook on Monday nights, it's usually a rotation of spaghetti, breakfast for dinner or something else easy. So those things do make a regular appearance.
Most of the time, though, I enjoy trying out new recipes. Lately, though, we found one that is a "repeater". It's fast. It's easy. It's delicious. And it's cheap. You just can't beat that. And, it doesn't really even require a recipe. But, I'll give you one anyway, because I like recipes.
I first saw this recipe on Chaos in the Kitchen (make her chicken fajitas!) and then Dine and Dish posted about it as well. The recipe is so basic it sounded too good to be true. Let me tell you, it's good and that's true.
Baked Chicken Legs
4 lbs. chicken legs (about 20 legs, enough for 3-4 per person) - I use about half that, since there are just 3 of us and we eat about 2 legs a piece, if they're large
Salt, pepper, seasoned salt (or whatever seasonings you like - I used paprika, garlic powder and onion salt...in addition to salt and pepper)
2 TB olive oil
Hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot), optional
Or, Parmesan cheese, optional
Heat oven to 475 degrees. Dry chicken legs with paper towels. This helps the spices to stick. In a large plastic bag, toss chicken with salt, pepper and spices. Add oil and toss until well coated. Spread legs onto 2 (or 1 if you halve the recipe) baking sheets and place in oven. Cook, turning occasionally with tongs, for 40 minutes or until meat easily separates from bone. Then, you can broil them briefly to crisp the skin, but I've never needed to. By the time they've cooked for 40 minutes, the skin has been pretty crispy. Remove from oven. If desired, brush with hot sauce OR sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (I don't think I'd do both.).
We've never tried the hot sauce, but they are delicious with Parmesan and without.
Serve with smashed potatoes or homemade Rice-a-roni (from the same site) and broccoli. Yum. Wish we had some right now.
Most of the time, though, I enjoy trying out new recipes. Lately, though, we found one that is a "repeater". It's fast. It's easy. It's delicious. And it's cheap. You just can't beat that. And, it doesn't really even require a recipe. But, I'll give you one anyway, because I like recipes.
I first saw this recipe on Chaos in the Kitchen (make her chicken fajitas!) and then Dine and Dish posted about it as well. The recipe is so basic it sounded too good to be true. Let me tell you, it's good and that's true.
Baked Chicken Legs
4 lbs. chicken legs (about 20 legs, enough for 3-4 per person) - I use about half that, since there are just 3 of us and we eat about 2 legs a piece, if they're large
Salt, pepper, seasoned salt (or whatever seasonings you like - I used paprika, garlic powder and onion salt...in addition to salt and pepper)
2 TB olive oil
Hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot), optional
Or, Parmesan cheese, optional
Heat oven to 475 degrees. Dry chicken legs with paper towels. This helps the spices to stick. In a large plastic bag, toss chicken with salt, pepper and spices. Add oil and toss until well coated. Spread legs onto 2 (or 1 if you halve the recipe) baking sheets and place in oven. Cook, turning occasionally with tongs, for 40 minutes or until meat easily separates from bone. Then, you can broil them briefly to crisp the skin, but I've never needed to. By the time they've cooked for 40 minutes, the skin has been pretty crispy. Remove from oven. If desired, brush with hot sauce OR sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (I don't think I'd do both.).
We've never tried the hot sauce, but they are delicious with Parmesan and without.
Serve with smashed potatoes or homemade Rice-a-roni (from the same site) and broccoli. Yum. Wish we had some right now.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thursday night dinner
After Chris's week of cooking, I was ready to get back to planning and cooking the meals this week.
We had a delicious dinner on Tuesday night but that post will wait for another time. Wednesday night was...ehhh, okay. But, tonight more than made up for it. We had Honey Chipotle Ribs, Iceberg Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries (normally I make these, but tonight we used a package from the freezer).
It was my first attempt at ribs, and they turned out even better than I expected. The slaw was another first...my first time to use herbs out of my garden (parsley and dill). Iceberg gets a bad rap these days, but it sure is yummy with a fresh ranch dressing on top.
Honey Chipotle Ribs
from Everyday Food
1/4 c. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. mustard powder
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 racks spare ribs (2 1/2 pounds each) - I used a 4 1/2 pound rack.
vegetable oil (for grill)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine chipotles, 1/4 c. honey, mustard powder, 3 TB salt (I might try a little less than this next time), and 2 tsp pepper.
Place a large double layer foil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place ribs on top and rub with chipotle mixture. Wrap ribs tightly in foil and bake on sheet until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Remove ribs from foil adn let excess liquid drip off. Brush ribs with 1/4 c. honey adn grill until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cut between bones to separate. Serve (with lemon slices if you like).
Iceberg Slaw
Also from Everyday Food
In a large bowl, whisk together 3 TB buttermilk, 3 TB plain yogurt, 1 TB chopped fresh dill, 1 TB chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 small shallot, minced; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Fold in 1 head of iceberg lettuce (about 1 pound), quartered and shredded. Taste and season.
Christopher said it was the best coleslaw he had ever tasted! (It was a little more like salad to me than slaw, but it was tasty!)
We had a delicious dinner on Tuesday night but that post will wait for another time. Wednesday night was...ehhh, okay. But, tonight more than made up for it. We had Honey Chipotle Ribs, Iceberg Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries (normally I make these, but tonight we used a package from the freezer).
It was my first attempt at ribs, and they turned out even better than I expected. The slaw was another first...my first time to use herbs out of my garden (parsley and dill). Iceberg gets a bad rap these days, but it sure is yummy with a fresh ranch dressing on top.
Honey Chipotle Ribs
from Everyday Food
1/4 c. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. mustard powder
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 racks spare ribs (2 1/2 pounds each) - I used a 4 1/2 pound rack.
vegetable oil (for grill)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine chipotles, 1/4 c. honey, mustard powder, 3 TB salt (I might try a little less than this next time), and 2 tsp pepper.
Place a large double layer foil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place ribs on top and rub with chipotle mixture. Wrap ribs tightly in foil and bake on sheet until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Remove ribs from foil adn let excess liquid drip off. Brush ribs with 1/4 c. honey adn grill until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cut between bones to separate. Serve (with lemon slices if you like).
Iceberg Slaw
Also from Everyday Food
In a large bowl, whisk together 3 TB buttermilk, 3 TB plain yogurt, 1 TB chopped fresh dill, 1 TB chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 small shallot, minced; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Fold in 1 head of iceberg lettuce (about 1 pound), quartered and shredded. Taste and season.
Christopher said it was the best coleslaw he had ever tasted! (It was a little more like salad to me than slaw, but it was tasty!)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Chris Cooks Days 4 & 5
Chris really did finish his week of cooking...for the most part. I'm just a little slow posting about.
While he originally planned for 7 straight days of cooking, we decided to call it quits after 5. This was not by his choice but out of necessity for our schedule. The boys went camping Friday night, and Phil and I celebrated our anniversary Saturday, so those two days got scratched. Well, not completely, because Phil and CJ are making hamburgers tonight (on the menu for last Friday). And I'm sure we'll have Italian Beef sometime soon.
Enough about what we didn't cook and on to what we did...
Day 4 was Sloppy Joes, Carrot and Grapes. CJ's friend Tristan joined us for both the making and the eating again. The Sloppy Joes were from Paula Deen's My First Cookbook. If your kids are interested in being in the kitchen, I highly recommend this cookbook. The instructions are clear. On the left side of the page are pictures of all ingredients and equipment needed. And, CJ could pretty much cook without any help from me. Last week, he made milkshakes, cinnamon rolls and the sloppy joes, all from this cookbook.
His sloppy joes were delicious. (I don't think he even remembers that when he first moved in, he HATED sloppy joes...now the kid will eat almost anything.)
Day 5 was the recipe I was most impressed with his choosing. It was from Everyday Food, my go-to food magazine. And the recipe was for Pasta (Orecchiette) with Bacon and Tomato Sauce. This is one of those recipes that sounds good but tastes even better than you would expect. And, it was easy and called for everyday ingredients.
One of CJ's all-time favorite meals is something his family often made, called Mac and Tomatoes (shell pasta, a can of tomato juice, a stick of butter). It's also better than I would have expected. Well, he thought this recipe tasted like a little fancier Mac and Tomatoes...and that's high praise around our house.
One more thing: It. Is. Spicy. We love spicy, so it worked at our house. You, however, might want to go light on the red pepper flakes.
Here it is:
Orecchiette with Bacon & Tomato Sauce
From Everyday Food
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
• Grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, for serving
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add bacon and cook until browned and almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
Add sauce and pasta water to pasta and toss to combine; cook over medium-high until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate 3 cups pasta for a separate dish. Serve remaining pasta topped with Parmesan and parsley.
While he originally planned for 7 straight days of cooking, we decided to call it quits after 5. This was not by his choice but out of necessity for our schedule. The boys went camping Friday night, and Phil and I celebrated our anniversary Saturday, so those two days got scratched. Well, not completely, because Phil and CJ are making hamburgers tonight (on the menu for last Friday). And I'm sure we'll have Italian Beef sometime soon.
Enough about what we didn't cook and on to what we did...
Day 4 was Sloppy Joes, Carrot and Grapes. CJ's friend Tristan joined us for both the making and the eating again. The Sloppy Joes were from Paula Deen's My First Cookbook. If your kids are interested in being in the kitchen, I highly recommend this cookbook. The instructions are clear. On the left side of the page are pictures of all ingredients and equipment needed. And, CJ could pretty much cook without any help from me. Last week, he made milkshakes, cinnamon rolls and the sloppy joes, all from this cookbook.
His sloppy joes were delicious. (I don't think he even remembers that when he first moved in, he HATED sloppy joes...now the kid will eat almost anything.)
Day 5 was the recipe I was most impressed with his choosing. It was from Everyday Food, my go-to food magazine. And the recipe was for Pasta (Orecchiette) with Bacon and Tomato Sauce. This is one of those recipes that sounds good but tastes even better than you would expect. And, it was easy and called for everyday ingredients.
One of CJ's all-time favorite meals is something his family often made, called Mac and Tomatoes (shell pasta, a can of tomato juice, a stick of butter). It's also better than I would have expected. Well, he thought this recipe tasted like a little fancier Mac and Tomatoes...and that's high praise around our house.
One more thing: It. Is. Spicy. We love spicy, so it worked at our house. You, however, might want to go light on the red pepper flakes.
Here it is:
Orecchiette with Bacon & Tomato Sauce
From Everyday Food
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
• Grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, for serving
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add bacon and cook until browned and almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
Add sauce and pasta water to pasta and toss to combine; cook over medium-high until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate 3 cups pasta for a separate dish. Serve remaining pasta topped with Parmesan and parsley.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Chris Cooks Days 2 & 3
On Monday nights, Phil and Chris are always in charge of dinner since I work late. They alternate between spaghetti, breakfast, hot ham sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. So, for Chris Cooks week, he planned breakfast for dinner.
Monday nights are busy for the boys as well. Chris has both Scouts and baseball practice now, so dinner has to be put on the table very quickly. As a result, Phil played a pretty major role in dinner prep.
Nevertheless, they enjoyed their waffles and bacon immensely.
On the menu tonight was "Oodles of Noodles Pasta Salad", Peaches and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. The pasta salad needed to chill, so we started preparing dinner as soon as he got off the bus. Both recipes tonight were perfect for him to prepare. I did very little to help.
We started with the cookies and worked on the pasta salad while the cookies were baking. Chris's friend Tristan joined in the fun tonight, too. Too bad I didn't take pictures. I was too busy managing the chaos.
While the pasta salad was chilling, Phil, Chris, Tristan and I made a quick trip to YMCA to work out for bit. We returned home and enjoyed our dinner outside.
Here's the recipe for the cookies. These are great for your kids to make...easy ingredients, measurements, mixing, etc.
Emeril's Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Everyday Food
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with oven racks in the upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients adn stir with a wooden spoon. Divide dough into 24 portions (I didn't get quite that many), about 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place dough balls, 1 inch apart, on two ungreased baking sheets. Using a fork, press on dough in two directions to form crosshatch pattern.
Bake cookies until puffed and lightly golden, 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets.
Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!
Monday nights are busy for the boys as well. Chris has both Scouts and baseball practice now, so dinner has to be put on the table very quickly. As a result, Phil played a pretty major role in dinner prep.
Nevertheless, they enjoyed their waffles and bacon immensely.
On the menu tonight was "Oodles of Noodles Pasta Salad", Peaches and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. The pasta salad needed to chill, so we started preparing dinner as soon as he got off the bus. Both recipes tonight were perfect for him to prepare. I did very little to help.
We started with the cookies and worked on the pasta salad while the cookies were baking. Chris's friend Tristan joined in the fun tonight, too. Too bad I didn't take pictures. I was too busy managing the chaos.
While the pasta salad was chilling, Phil, Chris, Tristan and I made a quick trip to YMCA to work out for bit. We returned home and enjoyed our dinner outside.
Here's the recipe for the cookies. These are great for your kids to make...easy ingredients, measurements, mixing, etc.
Emeril's Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Everyday Food
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with oven racks in the upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients adn stir with a wooden spoon. Divide dough into 24 portions (I didn't get quite that many), about 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place dough balls, 1 inch apart, on two ungreased baking sheets. Using a fork, press on dough in two directions to form crosshatch pattern.
Bake cookies until puffed and lightly golden, 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets.
Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Chris Cooks Day #1
Sunday morning dawned bright and early at our house. CJ was up before 7am to get breakfast in the oven. He made a great, simple recipe from Paula Dean's Kid's Cookbook. They were cinnamon rolls made with crescent rolls and marshmallows. He thought they were a disaster when some of the marshmallows exploded out of the crescent rolls, but they still tasted delicous. And, he made them almost entirely by himself.
Then, for dinner, he made cucumber salad...one of his FAVORITE things to eat (recipe follows) and chicken enchiladas. He also made chocolate milkshakes for dessert.
By the time we were nearly finished with the enchiladas, he was getting a little tired of cooking, I think. He really wanted to go out and check on what Phil was doing (he was outside doing some yard work). But, he stuck it out and even helped with some of the clean up. Hopefully this week doesn't ruin his love for cooking! :)
Cucumber Salad
3 English cucumbers (the ones wrapped in plastic at the grocery store), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 med. sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 c. fresh dill, coarsely chopped (we left this out tonight, but we usually add it)
3 TB olive oil
3 TB fresh lemon juice
2 TB white wine vinegar
coarse salt and ground pepper
In a large bowl, toss together cucumbers, onion, dill, oil, lemon juice, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
This can be made up to 3 hours ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
Then, for dinner, he made cucumber salad...one of his FAVORITE things to eat (recipe follows) and chicken enchiladas. He also made chocolate milkshakes for dessert.
By the time we were nearly finished with the enchiladas, he was getting a little tired of cooking, I think. He really wanted to go out and check on what Phil was doing (he was outside doing some yard work). But, he stuck it out and even helped with some of the clean up. Hopefully this week doesn't ruin his love for cooking! :)
Cucumber Salad
3 English cucumbers (the ones wrapped in plastic at the grocery store), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 med. sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 c. fresh dill, coarsely chopped (we left this out tonight, but we usually add it)
3 TB olive oil
3 TB fresh lemon juice
2 TB white wine vinegar
coarse salt and ground pepper
In a large bowl, toss together cucumbers, onion, dill, oil, lemon juice, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
This can be made up to 3 hours ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
Chris Cooks Week Commences
About a week and a half ago CJ told me that he was wanting to do more cooking, and he didn't mean that he just wanted to help me cook dinner that night. He wanted to plan a week's worth of meals and prepare them.
I gave him an extra menu-planning worksheet I had on hand, and he grabbed his two cookbooks for kids. He sat down at the kitchen table, and looking an awfully lot like I do on Saturday mornings, set out to plan his menu for the week.
He used his cookbooks, some of my cooking magazines and a list of often-made meals I keep on hand to design his menu. He took great delight in planning dessert for most of the evenings as well. And, with a little prompting, he added either fruits, vegetables or both to his plan. And for the weekend, he planned breakfasts as well.
I already had meals planned for the following week, so he had to wait until to today to get started. I'll try to follow along throughout the week with updates and recipes. But, for now, here's his menu:
Sunday breakfast - Cinnamon rolls (from Paula Dean's kid's cookbook)
dinner - Chicken Enchiladas, Cucumber Salad, Chocolate Milkshakes
Monday - breakfast
Tuesday - Oodles of Noodles Pasta Salad, Peaches, Peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies
Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, Carrots, Grapes
Thursday - Pasta with Bacon and Tomato Sauce, Salad, Bread
Friday - Hamburgers, Chips, Smoothies, Pineapple
Saturday breakfast - French toast
dinner - Italian Beef, Carrots, Strawberry Cream Cupcake Dessert
I gave him an extra menu-planning worksheet I had on hand, and he grabbed his two cookbooks for kids. He sat down at the kitchen table, and looking an awfully lot like I do on Saturday mornings, set out to plan his menu for the week.
He used his cookbooks, some of my cooking magazines and a list of often-made meals I keep on hand to design his menu. He took great delight in planning dessert for most of the evenings as well. And, with a little prompting, he added either fruits, vegetables or both to his plan. And for the weekend, he planned breakfasts as well.
I already had meals planned for the following week, so he had to wait until to today to get started. I'll try to follow along throughout the week with updates and recipes. But, for now, here's his menu:
Sunday breakfast - Cinnamon rolls (from Paula Dean's kid's cookbook)
dinner - Chicken Enchiladas, Cucumber Salad, Chocolate Milkshakes
Monday - breakfast
Tuesday - Oodles of Noodles Pasta Salad, Peaches, Peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies
Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, Carrots, Grapes
Thursday - Pasta with Bacon and Tomato Sauce, Salad, Bread
Friday - Hamburgers, Chips, Smoothies, Pineapple
Saturday breakfast - French toast
dinner - Italian Beef, Carrots, Strawberry Cream Cupcake Dessert
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