Garden's glory

Even after several years of gardening, I'm still learning what to grow and how much to use without a lot of waste. I feel like I hit the right amount of tomatoes this year. And, they are heavenly. Today, I made Caprese salad. The basil is also from the garden. Yum! 

Dinner dilemma

I am horrible at planning dinner. It is never a priority for me. I realize that as I build my little family, I am going to have to get better at this. I would have been devastated if I came home from school and asked my mom what was for dinner and she said, "I don't know? What do you want?" That is what I say nearly every day to my husband, Nate. I get frustrated, because he never has an answer. And when I do cook, he never seems really impressed. I call him picky, but maybe that is because I will eat ANYTHING. I hope my daughter gets my appetite.

No matter what, my mom had dinner on the table. I don't really recall eating out a lot. There was always something hot on the table, even if it was later in the evening than I would have liked as a growing teenager.

So, today when I was getting in my car at work (a little later than I like to on a Friday afternoon), my husband called.

"What's for dinner?"

"I don't know," I said.

It's not for lack of food in my house...because I spend a lot on groceries and pride myself on having a stocked pantry.

I start going through the file in my head. What can I make quick? He said he is starving.

In my defense, Nate doesn't eat lunch at a set time every day like I do. When he is on day work, he can be hungry for dinner at 3:30 p.m. when he gets home or at 6:30 p.m., which is way too late for me. So, even if I planned, it might not work out perfectly.

Tonight, I happened to have chicken breasts set out. I called my sister for a chicken and rice recipe she had made when I was visiting for New Year's Eve, but it took an hour to bake and sit, and that was too long for my starving man.

So, I saved it for another day and tried to improvise something quicker that would taste similar.
Here is what I came up with.

Chicken and Rice Skillet

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can cream of chicken soup (plus one can water)

2 cups instant rice. uncooked

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 small can mushrooms

1/3 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch strips. Cook the chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, until no longer pink inside. Add the chicken soup and can of water. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, onion powder and pepper. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for a few minutes so the rice cooks. Add mushrooms. Stir. Remove from heat and let it sit until the liquid is absorbed, about five minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with crumbled buttered crackers if desired.

Enjoy!

Dinner inspiration out of no where

I headed back to school today for a meeting. All summer, I have been slacking on cooking dinner. Poor Nate has been living on frozen pizza, macaroni cheese and lunch meat sandwiches. I don't know if it was getting back into a routine today, but I was inspired to cook a decent dinner. I could see the joy on Nate's face as he said, "I like when you cook dinner, babe."
Before I left in the morning, I pulled two boneless skinless chicken breasts out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator. When I returned home, I completed the thaw in the microwave. I cut the chicken into strips and marinated them in Kraft balsamic vinegar salad dressing for a little while. Then I made baked corn. I have NEVER made that before. Before making it, I wasn't even sure that I really liked it. I am never a fan of adding butter, milk, eggs and other fattening ingredients to a vegetable, even if it is a starch. Nate mentioned that we should use the leftover corn on the cob from a few weekends ago for baked corn, a dish he only tried for the first time at my mom's house. So, I did before it spoiled. While the corn was baking, I cooked the chicken on the George Foreman grill, which went very quickly because the piecs were small. I topped off the meal with instant mashed potatoes, well because, we like them and they are easy.

Here is the recipe I used for baked corn from a church cookbook (which contained three recipes for baked corn. This one had the shortest cooking time.)

Baked Corn
2 cups cooked or canned corn
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Serves 4.

See, quick, easy and absolutely yummy!

Asian inspiration

I love soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and noodles. But, since I am trying to eat very healthy, I try to stay away from take out. A lovely friend from work shares her Real Simple magazine with me (a great frugal tip).And I tinkered with a recipe in there for dinner the other night.

Here you go:

8 ounces soba* noodles
1 pound boneless chicken breast
2 cups shredded red cabbage
5 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ginger

In a saucepan, cook chicken with 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium high heat. Cook 8 ounces soba* noodles, cool, and toss with chicken, cabbage, 3 tablespoons canola oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Sprinkle with ginger and toss.

*Soba noodles are Japanese Noodles made from buckwheat and wheat flour, which gives it a dark-brownish gray color.

Quick Cold Dinner

Isn't today the first official day of spring. For a few days, spring weather has been knocking at my door. I turned off the heat, put away the winter coats and dusted off my bike. I actually didn't have to wear wool to run in.
So of course, I am looking for yummy, yummy cold recipes that are refreshing and quick.
This is what I came up with. It's healthy, quick and filling. It makes one serving.

White Bean Salad

1 cup canned cannelli beans, drained
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/4 ounce avocado, diced

In a bowl, put beans and peppers. Stir in olive oil. Top with feta cheese and avocado.

Proud of my dinners

I apologize ahead of time for my lack of photos. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really mean to take photos. But, in the heat of the moment, dinner is done and we're hungry, and we eat. I've been trying to make new and different meals since I am home and have a little time to do my homework and dig through recipe books. One day this week, I made Parmesan-crusted chicken. I mixed bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and a mix of spices such as oregano, parsley and the like. I dipped the chicken in egg beaters and rolled it around in the mixture. I baked it for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, I cut up three potatoes into wedges. I sprinkled them with a mixture of salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder and baked them for about 30 minutes at the same temperature. What a quick and easy dinner.

The next night, I made Cuban sandwiches. YUM! I had made some pork in the slow cooker earlier in the week, so I sliced the leftovers as thin as I could. I laid a hamburger bun open on the counter and spread one side with mayo and the other with mustard. I layered provolone (the recipe called for Swiss, but we don't really like that), cooked ham slices and the pork on the bun and a layer of dill pickle slices. I smashed it all together (recipe said 1-inch thick) and buttered both sides of the bun. I grilled each side about 3 minutes and voila, dinner was done. Nate asked for seconds and I thoroughly enjoyed my first.

And on another note, I found the problem with my flat cookies. I've been puzzled as to why my chocolate chip cookies have been thin, flat and crispy. Through advice from many sources (namely my mom, stepdad and mother-in-law) I added a little more flower and used shortening instead of butter. And, wouldn't you know it? It worked. I must have eaten 2 dozen cookies in the last two days. They remind me of my mom's!

And the zucchini is still cranking. I peeled and shredded up the ones I have and will freeze them in 2-3 cup bags so I have them to make zucchini bread and cake and muffins and all that this winter! Man I love not wasting and saving money!

Yay beans!

We have green beans! The garden is in full bloom. Well, sort of. Zucchini is definitely producing many fruits a day. Nate picked at least a quart of green beans last night for dinner. We also picked two cucumbers, which I used for cucumber salad. I really wish some tomatoes or peppers would show face. We had a really yummy dinner last night. I stopped at Giant for fresh a pound of fresh Catfish for about $5. I sprinkled some Cajun seasoning on it and cooked it in foil on the grill for about 20 minutes.
We sauted the green beans in olive oil, garlic and onion and covered them to help soften. And then because my potatoes were seriously rotten (I mean oozing white creamy goop), we had to opt for instant mashed potatoes.

Here is my recipe for Cucumber Salad if you need a use for ALL those veggies!

Cucumber Salad

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
1 medium onion sliced into rings
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and onions. Chill for 24 hours before serving. YUM!

Dinner on the quick

There is no challenge that I love more than opening the refrigerator and looking at what I have to pull together a meal. It's much easier when Nate is on night work. I will eat just about anything, so it's a tad easier. Last night, I pulled the last of the pork from my wedding (yes, I know that was more than a year ago, but it's still tastes fine and I haven't died yet) out of freezer. As it was defrosting in the micro, I cracked open a can of black beans. As soon as the pork was done, I warmed it in a pan with the beans and cooked some leftover rice in the micro. In about five minutes, I had a lovely little mixture of pork, beans and rice. I added some bruschetta for that cool, crisp, vegetable taste. YUM. It was a great fusion of flavors that was quick, cheap and used some leftovers.
I threw something similar in my lunch!

Crock pot quickies

As you can see by the rate at which I have been posting on this Web site (as often as sloths move), I have been very busy. Well, my evenings are free, I just spend them sprawled out on the couch recovering from a bike ride or a long day with hormonal teenage boys.
Anyway, Nate is on day work, which means I try to make dinner. My showing this week hasn't been too bad. Well, Mondays he fends for himself because I have class, so I guess I didn't make anything. Tuesday I poured some salsa in the bottom of the slow cooker put in two chicken breasts and covered it with salsa and voila, we had just about the most moist and tender chicken I have ever tasted. It was perfect. I served it over rice.
Tonight, I made Italian subs. Not hard, I guess.
I took a barbecue pork loin and two chicken breasts out of the freezer. I am going to attempt to make General Tso's chicken and fried rice tomorrow. Hopefully the pork loin thaws by Friday. It's more than two pounds. (We'll have lots of leftovers.)
Nate and I both feel like we are always eating the same thing. In cycles, of course. I go in spells.
I get adventurous sometimes. Last week, I made beef tips in the Crock pot with a mushroom onion sauce. I had leftover cream of mushroom soup that I used to make tuna noodle casserole that is still in the fridge waiting to be cooked. Maybe I will make that tomorrow if the chicken doesn't work out. But inevitably, we always fall back on the old standbys. Beef and vegetables in the Crock pot with onion soup mix, etc.
One tip I do have to send off is that adding wine to cooking (in place of water, broth, etc.) makes meat taste awesome. Same with lemon juice. I know! Who would have thought?

Yummy dinners

I have been making some tasty dinners lately, but of course it isn't until I am putting the dishes in the sink that I remember to take a photo. By then, it's too late.
We had fish on Monday, which as easy as sprinkling seasoning on frozen fillets and cooking it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Tuesday, I made one of Nate's favorites, BBQ Nachos. I used to make Nate nachos all the time when we were dating, by my parents introduced us to the BBQ kind while dining at Smoky Bones and The Works.
Even though we have tons of pork left from the wedding, I used the store-bought stuff. It's pretty easy to throw in a saucepan and heat up. I layered blue and yellow tortilla chips on a plate and sprinkled mozzarella cheese on them and popped them in the microwave for 35 seconds to melt the cheese. When the pork was warm, I dropped little piles of pork on the nachos followed by a sprinkle of chopped lettuce, and finely diced tomatoes and onions. I also added sour cream, green salsa, guacamole and jalapenos. I promise you, even though I don't have a photo, it made for a colorful dish.
Wednesday I made an Olive-Garden worthy pasta dish in about 10 minutes. I have so many pasta noodles, shapes and sizes in my cupboards, but neither of us is a big pasta eater. I realized it was time to start using them.
So, I boiled garlic Parmesan fettuccine noodles in salted water. In the meantime, I sauted garlic, onion, mushroom, tomato, shrimp and imitation lobster meat in olive oil in a sauce pan...just enough to make it soft and warm. I sprinkled in a little pepper and sweet basil for some taste. We just served the veggie/seafood combo over the noodles! YUM. I will try to start taking more photos, I promise.

Freezing meat

This one is for Jen, because I know she is afraid of freezing meat. I live by it. I am a huge planner, so I buy way ahead at the grocery store. At any given time we have 48 rolls of toilet paper, five bottles of shampoo, eight cans of soup and 50 bottles of water and sports drinks.

When I lived in an apartment, I couldn't buy too much meat ahead because I only had the freezer attached to my fridge. I invested in a freezer when we bought the house, just a small used one that was my grandmothers. When meat is on sale at Giant for buy one get one free, I stock up. You can beat two 2-pound roasts for $10. I always buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts in bulk when they are buy one get one. For about $20, you can get 10 or more large breasts. When I get them home, I divide them into freezer bags, about two to each. I usually trim them down to normal size and freeze the trimmings as chicken tenders. I write what it is and the date on the outside of the chicken and pop it in the freezer. The day before I use it, I put the chicken in the refrigerator to thaw. If it's too much for the recipe I am using it for, I cook it off and save it for casseroles or chicken salad. The thawed chicken/pork/beef is no different than what you buy fresh. Once you add the seasoning, etc, you will never know the difference.
Today, I put a piece of pork that was thawed from the freezer in the slow cooker with beef broth, mushrooms, onions and seasoning. I'll serve it with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. YUM!

Planning dinner

Since I have been working earlier, I have had a lot more time to make dinners. I keep forgetting to take pictures when it looks all yummy and delicious. I opted for no pictures to pictures of leftovers (which we have a lot of.) I've been making a list of meals for the week, planning out what I will make and making sure I have all the ingredients. It makes life so easy. And if something doesn't work out, I just switch out days. It's hard to come up with recipes that I can leave in the oven or on the stove on warm for when Nate gets home late. But, this week I made something called a cassoulet, which according to the Web is a slow cooked bean stew. It was basically a lot of adding and cooking. Nate loved it. And I have to say it was pretty tasty.

Here is what I did:

I chopped six pieces of bacon and fried them in a dutch oven (which my mom tells me is just a large pan with a tight lid) until they were crisp on medium high heat. I cubed a 2-pound pork roast and added that to the pot and cooked it until it was white. Then, I added slices of kielbasa and cooked it for about 2 minutes. Then I added one medium onion chopped, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper as well as a can of diced tomatoes with onions and garlic. I think I added a little water and then to top it all off I added a can of Northern white beans and a can of black eyed peas. The recipe called for something else, but I had those random cans of beans that I wanted to use. Then you stir and let the whole pot warm. The night I made it at 5 p.m., he didn't get home until 1:30 a.m. and it was still good. I just put it on the stove's warmer on low. It makes great leftovers if you can get past the bacon fat that congeals on the side of the bowl when it gets cold.

An easy make-ahead dinner

I know this picture doesn't look too appetizing, but I promise the casserole was so yummy. And it was one of the easiest I made in a long time. It's Creamy Chicken and Rice. I freeze two chicken breasts in each packed and when I cooked off the chicken for the enchiladas, I had a leftover cooked breast. So, I found this recipe. All the ingredients are really inexpensive. I cut the recipe in half and served it with lima beans for Nate and pickled beets for me.

Here ya go, the whole recipe serves 6-8:

4 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup butter, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 to 5 cups cubed chicken
12 ounces process American cheese cubes 2 cups sour cream
1 1/4 cup crushed butter flavored crackers (about 32)

Spread rice in a greased 13-by-9-inch pan; set aside. In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, bouillon, seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thick and bubbling. Reduce heat; add chicken, cheese and sour cream; stir until the cheese is melted. Pour over rice. Melt the remaining butter; toss the cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. If you refrigerate or freeze, increase cooking time.

Enchiladas

I was so happy to be home today. I actually got to make dinner. And as this year has been going, I've been eating a lot of untraditional meals. I had Chinese on Christmas and now Mexican on New Year's Day. My mom was concerned that I skipped the pork and sauerkraut, but I had pork and sauerkraut on Christmas Eve and I like to save Pork for days when I don't have time to cook.

So, here is my recipe for chicken enchiladas. It turned out pretty good. It was the perfect portion for two. The photo is after we already dug in. I am trying to get better at remembering the photos.

Chicken Enchiladas

1/2 to 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion chopped 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water0 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped jalapeno peppers Dash of salt
Dash of cumin 6 corn or flour tortillas
One chicken breast (about 1 lb.( shredded) 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Sour cream Green salsa

For the sauce, saute onions in garlic in olive oil in a saucepan until onions are tender. Blend in flour. Stir in broth, milk, jalapenos, salt and cumin. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat; simmer the sauce five minutes; stirring occasionally. Set the sauce aside.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spoon a little sauce in the center of each tortilla and spread to edges. Place about 2 tablespoons meat in the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with some cheese. Roll up tortillas and place in baking dish seam-side down. Pour remaining sauce over. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Ode to Idahoan

Last night, I came home from work and Nate was already hungry. Poor guy, that's what happens when he eats lunch at 10 a.m. and I don't get home from work until 6:30 p.m.

But, I was able to have a tasty meal on the table by 7 p.m. As soon as I walked into the door, I turned the oven on to 450 degrees and started a pot of water. I covered a Pyrex baking dish with aluminum foil and placed two frozen Tilapia fillets in the pan. I sprinkled each with a dry chili lime
season and placed it in the preheated oven. I set the timer for 15 minutes. I dumped some lima beans in the pot of water and then started another pot of water. While the timer ticked, I cleaned up the kitchen, set the table and put away my work stuff. With a few minutes left on the timer, I took the second pot of boiling water and combined it with the Idahoans (which only take 1 minute by the way and are the best instant potatoes you will ever, ever eat.) You add nothing! I just added some butter and pepper to the lima beans and dinner was served.

Nate was so happy with the meal and I almost felt guilty because it was barely any work at all. He made the comment that there isn't much you can cook from frozen to done in 15 minutes, but white fish is one of them. Yum. We had a very healthy, quick meal.