July 26-August 7, 2007

26 R - Sloppy Joes, Corn, Carrots
27 F - Grilled Pork, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
28 S - L.O. Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Carrots
29 U - Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
30 M - Chicken Parmesan, Rigatoni, Salad
31 T - Crab Cakes, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Salad
1 W - Chicken Foil Packets
2 R - Parmesan Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots
3 F - L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
4 S - Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
5 U - Pizza, Salad
6 M - Rob's Random Choice
7 T - Grilled Chicken Quarters, Mac & Cheese, Carrots

July 5-17, 2007

5 R - Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up, Corn on the Cob, Carrots
6 F - Grilled Pork Medallions, Creamy Orzo
7 S - Spaghetti with Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
8 U - Potstickers, Egg Rolls
9 M - Chicken & Yellow Rice, Salad
10 T - Cuban Black Bean Soup (BC 480), Rice, Salad
11 W - Hamburgers, French Fries, Salad
12 R - Grilled Pork, Greek Isles Pasta Salad, Carrot Sticks
13 F - Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Salad
14 S - Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
15 U - Pizza, Salad
16 M - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
17 T - L.O. Spaghetti, etc.

After living here for 8 years, I've come to think of chicken and yellow rice as comfort food. The first time I visited Miami I remember that there were guys at the BCM eating chicken and yellow rice and the first year we were married, Rob and I had it A LOT!!! There are two ways to make it (other than just making chicken however and serving it with yellow rice). One way is to put a bunch of chicken thighs in a baking dish, slather it with cream of mushroom soup and bake it, while making the rice on the stove top. The other way is to dump the rice into a baking dish, nest the (raw) chicken thighs in it, slather everything with the soup and add enough water to equal however much liquid the rice calls for, cover tightly with foil and bake until about an hour. I prefer the second method - less to clean.

Make Your Own Take Out vol. 2

How do you stretch 1/2 pound of ground pork to feed 6 people? Easy! Make Potstickers!

I'm not sure whether to say that potstickers are convenience foods or that they are labor intensive. In a way, they are both. They are a food that if you invest time in preparing, you will have a convenient Asian meal another time. Here's what you need:

1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
35-50 small wonton wrappers (1 package will be a little more than you need)
a little cup with water in it

and later on when you cook them:
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup chicken stock for every 6 or 7 potstickers you plan to cook

You could season the pork any way you want. I'm not crazy about worchetershire sauce, so I usually substitue with soy sauce.

Assembling the potstickers is the labor intensive part. If you grew up shelling peas, you might find this relaxing! I can wrap up 1/2 lb worth in about 45 minutes.

Mix up the ingredients (pork thru cayenne pepper) in a bowl, then set up a work area including these elements:
1 plate with wonton wrappers on it, cover with a damp paper towel
1 empty plate (the assembly platform)
bowl with pork mix in it
little cup with water
teaspoon sized measuring spoon
2 cookie sheets - lined with parchment

Take one wonton wrapper and put it on the assembly plate so that it looks like a diamond, scoop up a modest teaspoonful of the filling and place it directly in the middle. Dip your finger in the water and dampen just the edges of the bottom half of the diamond. Fold the wrapper over and work the air out (important!!!) of the potsticker sealing it where you put the water.

You could leave it like that, but that leaves two big "ears" that have no filling in them, I fold them a 2nd time like this (left picture is front view, right is back):



Place each potsticker on the cookie sheet. When the sheet is full, put the whole thing in the freezer. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Once these little guys have been in the freezer half an hour or so, you can dump them into a zip top bag and keep them in your freezer. When you want to eat them, you can just take out however many you need - 6 is good for me, 10 leaves me feeling overstuffed. (Note: There is no need to defrost.)

To cook these you heat up (med-high) a pan that is NOT non-stick - sticking is part of the cooking process here. I use a back burner to heat up my chicken stock. Use a pastry brush to "paint" the pan with oil. When it's hot, put the potstickers in and wait 2 minutes. In 2 minutes they will be totally stuck to the pan. Reduce heat to low and pour in 1/3 cup chicken stock - it will hiss and steam a lot! Put on a tight lid and cook 2 more minutes. After 2 minutes, they should let go - remove to warm plate.

Before cooking the next batch, reheat the pan, add water and scrape off any "stuff" that gets left behind. Each batch takes about 6 minutes including cleaning.

Serve with whatever sauce you want (I like hoisin) and some egg rolls (Chung's is the best, IMHO). With homemade Asian cuisine this easy and cheap, you might never go our for Chinese food again!

According to the Joy of Cooking cookbook, this is also the most authentic stir frying method for vegetables. I've tried this and the result is crisper than just stiring it until it seems done.

Recipe by Alton Brown

The Other White Meat : Green Chili Burritos

These are good! (BTW - there's no reason you couldn't substitute the pork in this recipe with chicken.)

Green Chili Burritos

1 lb boneless pork, cut into bite sized cubes
1 tbsp oil
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies (undrained)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup water
1 fresh tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
5 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water
1 (16 oz) can of refried beans
10 6-inch flour tortillas

Over medium heat, brown pork in oil; drain. Add next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Combine cornstarch and water, add to pork mixture - stir while it comes to a boil until thickened (about 2 minutes). Meanwhile, heat beans and spread evenly on tortillas. Spoon pork mixture into tortillas and fold in sides.

Reiman Media Group as posted on www.tasteofhome.com.

I put the filled tortillas in a baking dish, grated on some cheese and stuck it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Alternately you could skip the assembly step and let people fill their own tortillas at the table. I also served it with sour cream. Yum yum yum!

June 21-July 3, 2007

21 R - VBS
22 F - VBS
23 S - Rob's Random Choice
24 U - Tuna Tortellini Soup, Rolls, Carrots
25 M - Crescent Topped Casserole, Corn, Carrots
26 T - Green Chili Burritos, Salad
27 W - Church Dinner
28 R - Tuna Patties, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Carrots
29 F - Potstickers, Egg Rolls
30 S - Pork Chops, Creamy Orzo
1 U - Sub Sandwiches, Chips
2 M - Everything Lo-Mein, Egg Rolls
3 T - Grilled Chicken Quarters, Mac & Cheese, Carrots

(Hey Meredith, spot any of your food in this meal plan?)

June 7-19, 2007

7 R - Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad
8 F - Chicken with Florentine Sauce, Corn on the Cob, Broccoli
9 S - Golden Pork and Noodles, Broccoli
10 U – L.O. Tacos, Etc.
11 M – Greek Chicken Kabobs, Tomato Mozzarella Salad, Grilled Corn + dessert!
12 T – Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
13 W – Church Dinner
14 R – Parmesan Chicken, Tater Tots, Carrots
15 F – Hot Wings, Sweet Potato Fries
16 S – Pizza, Salad
17 U – L.O. Spaghetti, Etc.
18 M – VBS
19 T – VBS

Our church is holding Vacation Bible School June 18-22 and they'll be providing dinner those nights.

Great Kitchen Gadgets!

One kitchen gadget I'm getting really spoiled by is my Digital Probe Thermometer. My parents gave it to us for Christmas and it is great. I do a lot of roasting and that inevitably meant guessing at doneness or reaching into a super hot oven half a dozen times to poke at my food with a meat thermometer. But not anymore!

To use the Digital Probe Thermometer, you stick the probe in, lead the cord out of the oven and attach it to the digital thermometer. The thermometer has a magnet on the back and a little swing away foot. I use the magnet and stick it high on my oven (i.e. far away from Caleb!). Instead of setting a time, I set a target temperature and when the food reaches that temperature, a buzzer goes off. It has meant the end of us hungrily cutting into a big, juicy chicken, only to discover it's not done inside.

May 13 - 24, 2007

13 U Fajita Skillet, Salad
14 M Oriental Round Steak, Salad
15 T L.O. Oriental Round Steak
16 W Church Dinner
17 R Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
18 F Corn Dogs
19 S Bob's Crab Cakes, Broccoli, Carrot Sticks
20 U Great Northern Bean Stew, Herbed Popovers
21 M L.O. GNB Stew
22 T Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Lemon Spaghetti, Salad
23 W Church Dinner
24 R L.O. Spaghetti, etc.

This week I picked a few old favorites to compliment some brave new dishes. Corn Dogs are always a hit with Rob - I think he's eat them for breakfast. And I love Great Northern Bean Stew - it's really tasty and very cheap! Plus spaghetti is just comfort food all the way around.

Rob and I both love crab cakes and Caleb loves the name "Bob", so this new (but not unusual) crab cake recipe was an easy pick. I'm excited about the Oriental Round Steak - it'll perk along in the slow-cooker while I'm babysitting and I'll come home to a yummy smelling house (I hope!). And I look forward to trying Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which I watched Giada De Laurentiis prepare last week. I really like her recipes. Good Eats is still my favorite cooking show, but I have tried a lot of Giada's recipes and been very pleased. They always have fun names and are usually easy.

April 29 - May 12, 2007

29 U – Messy Giuseppe (RR 182), Salad
30 M – Chicken, Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Subs, Salad
1 T – L.O. Messy Giuseppe, Salad
2 W – Church Dinner
3 R – Pizza, Salad
4 F – Out of Town
5 S – Out of Town
6 U – Out of Town
7 M – Out of Town
8 T – Roast Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Biscuit
9 W – Church Dinner
10 R – Thai Chicken Pizza (using L.O. Roast Chicken – economical, eh?)
11 F – Chicken Casserole (from Remembering… pg. 68)
12 S – L.O. Chicken Casserole

The dry season is almost over, time to restock the Hurricane Kit. Remember, an emergency is not the time to suffer through food that you aren't sure is good - buy items that you know you and your family like.

New Cookbook!

During my recent trip to Arkansas, I increased my cookbook collection by one. This cookbook is a fundraiser type cookbook for, of all things, a historic cemetery. Actually I think still bury people there from time to time; the most recent burial listed was 2005.

The title is Remembering... and is all about the favorite recipes of the people buried in the Sardis Cemetery, which is next to the Sardis United Methodist Church. It says it's in Pine Grove, Arkansas and it very well may be, but I have been there and it is deep in the woods on a gravel road. I have tried to find a picture of it online in vain. It's a pretty, old church and is on the National Register of Historic places.

The funny thing about this cookbook is that it's filled with pictures...of tombstones. For example on the title page for the Appetizers, Soups and Salads section there are two pictures of the cemetery from differnt angles. It's like a grim reminder that food borne illnesses kill 5000 people every year in the US. Kind of makes you want to go sanitize your cutting board doesn't it?

On the Side : Spicy Sweet Potatoes

I'm trying to substitue sweet potatoes when I'm tempted to have white potatoes with our dinners - they are more nutritious and being pregnant I need all the nutrition I can get! These are great - easy, cheap and delicious - I found a recipe on the Taste of Home website and modified it based on what I had in the kitchen.

2 or 3 Sweet Potatoes
2 or 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
Some salt
Some cayenne pepper
Some cinnamon

Cut the sweet potatoes up into little pieces, an inch or smaller - smaller means a higher surface to mass ration which means more crispy outer bits of goodness. Yum. Toss pieces into a zip top bag and pour in the olive oil. Seal and shake. Combine the other ingredients and then pour into the bag. Seal and shake. Pour the contents into a baking dish and bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes. Yum yum yum!

April 12 - 28, 2007

The dates omitted are days I will be in Arkansas.

12 R – Chicken Florentine, Cannellini Beans, Salad
13 F – One Pan Pork with Parmesan Fries, Green Beans
14 S – Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Carrot Sticks
15 U – Pappas House Dinner
16 M – Chicken Fajitas, Refried Beans, Salad
17 T – Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad

23 M – Cacio e Pepe (RR 30)
24 T – Saucy Stir Fried Pork
25 W – Church Dinner
26 R – Ramen Shrimp Pouches, Egg Rolls
27 F – L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
28 S – Shepherd’s Pie, Salad

Cacio e Pepe means cheese and pepper in Italian - in this case it's a pasta dish, but evidentally you can cacio e pepe any number of foods. Supposedly pasta made in this style is what people eat all the time at home in Rome (hey that rhymes!). It sounded easy and interesting.

That's Sweet! : Clean and Easy Beignets

I discovered this trick by accident yesterday. I was making Curry Chicken Pot Pie, which calls for puff pastry on top. I had left over puff pastry and didn't want to throw it away, so I cut it into little squares and put it on a greased piece of foil. I popped it in the oven for about 13 minutes. While they puffed and browned, inspiration struck. Why not dust those little puffy squares with powdered sugar? So when they came out of the oven, I did.

Without mixing dough or messing with boiling oil, I made little puffy sweet bites that taste remarkably like Beignets. Served warm with a cup of coffee, you might just think you're in New Orleans!

March 29 - April 11

Still not 100%, but feeling more like myself. At least enough to be sick of frozen meals and ready to try cooking again. I slipped in ultra easy meals for Sundays and days when I babysit. Actually there are a couple of meals on this that I crave one minute and think sound disgusting the next, so goes pregnancy, so we'll see if we eat everything on this list! Still, I'm looking forward to home cooked food.

29 R – Veggie Delight with Sausage
30 F – Mexican Pork Chops, Broccoli, Tater Tots
31 S – Jambalaya Casserole, Salad
1 U – Turkey Pot Pies, Salad
2 M – L.O. Jambalaya Casserole, etc.
3 T – Crab Cakes, Mushroom Risotto, Carrot Sticks
4 W – Church Dinner
5 R – Roast Chicken, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Corn on the Cob
6 F – Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
7 S – Rob’s Random Request
8 U – Frozen Pizza, Salad
9 M – Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob
10 T – Beef Taco Skillet, Salad
11 W – Church Dinner

It seems like at least once every couple of weeks, Rob has a random desire for food I never dreamed of putting on the meal plan, so I figured it into the equation and he can pick whatever he fancies (within reason) that day.

Back in Town, but Not Back to Normal

We've returned home from our vacation, but my normal appetite has not! Oh I'm hungry enough, but I can't seem to crave the same foods from one day to the next. I think this happened with Caleb too. Yesterday I went to Publix craving Mac & Cheese - fantisizing about how good it would taste, I bought a bulk pack...only to realize today that even thinking about noodles makes me sick! This is crazy, or maybe normal...

Anyway, cooking is just beyond me at this point. I'm thankful for the frozen food section because that is going to be our source of meals for a little while longer.

A Little Hiatus

I won't be posting a new meal plan for a couple of weeks. Because of my nausea and general distain for most foods right now (see my other blog for more details), thinking about meal plans is a sort of disgusting thing to do right now. Rob and Caleb will be at the mercy of my whims I guess. Also in a week we'll be at Disney for a week. I'll get back to regular when I get back to my old self...or new self, depending on how you look at it.

In case your curious about my cravings, when I was pregnant with Caleb I craved sour Skittles with an incredible intensity. I haven't craved them yet, but I have been overwhelmed with desire for crispy chicken sandwiches - with mayonaise. And earlier today I really wanted grits, which I made for myself and they were fabulous. I may eat some more for dinner.

Comfort Foods : Thai Style Brisket

My first venture into brisket-ing was well rewarded. This recipe is very easy and very tasty. I cooked it in the slow cooker while I was babysitting - so it cooked nearly 11 hours (yes, I babysit 11 hours frequently - I don't know who it's a longer day for, me or the parents!)

Thai Style Brisket*

First you need a 3-4lb fresh beef brisket, cut it in half, and brown both sides in a hot skillet with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Stick the browned brisket in the crockpot.

Mix up:

1 cup chunky peanut butter
2/3 cup soy sauce
4 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp pepper

and pour it over the brisket in the crockpot. Set it on low.

After it cooks for at least 8 1/2 hours, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch in 1 cup cold water and pour it in and crank the crockpot up to high.

MEANWHILE...stirfry 1 1/4 cups julienned carrots, 1 sliced medium sweet red pepper, 1 sliced medium green pepper, and 1/2 cup of green onion until tender-crisp. Top the brisket with the veggies and serve with rice! YUM!

*Taste of Home, August/September 2005, Reiman Publishing.

February 9-22, 2007

9 F - Thai Style Brisket, Rice
10 S - L.O. Brisket
11 U - L.O. Brisket
12 M - Spicy Mac and Cheese, Carrots, Broccoli
13 T - Potstickers, Egg Rolls
14 W - Church Dinner
15 R - Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad
16 F - L.O. Tacos, etc.
17 S - out of town
18 U - out of town
19 M - out of town
20 T - Parmesan Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad
21 W - Church Dinner
22 R - L.O. Potstickers, Egg Rolls

Yeah! Lots of leftovers, means less work for me! I'm excited about making brisket, I've never tried it, but Taste of Home magazine had several very tempting brisket recipes in their latest issue. Curious about Spicy Mac and Cheese, all it is is mac with some salsa. Rob's not crazy about meatless meals, but he'll be in Cape Cod that night. Oh and impressed by my egg rolls? Don't be - I'm buying frozen!

FYI - New Budget

After checking how much I really spent on groceries the last two months, I have decided to increase our food budget to $150 every two weeks - or $25 per person per week.

Tastes Like Chicken : Parmesan Chicken

Parmesan Chicken...not Chicken Parmesan, there's a difference! This is a easy, yummy recipe that won a national potluck dinner competition sponsored by Taste of Home magazine in 2003. The parmesan coating is wonderful, because when parmesan cheese melts it makes a crispy, crusty coating. It would probably also make great chicken fingers if you used chicken tenders or cut boneless breast into strips. I served it with twice baked potatoes and a spinach salad. YUMMY!!!

Parmesan Chicken*

GROUP 1
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper

GROUP 2
2 eggs
3 tbsp milk

GROUP 3
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (I used panko)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Get 3 shallow bowls, round cake pans, or pie plates and combine ingredients in the 3 groups listed. First dip the breasts in the flour mixture, shake off excess. Then in the egg mixture, then roll breasts in the cheese mixture to coat. Spray or grease a baking pan, add chicken, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (or until the juices run clear).

(Alt. - Use a 3-4lb broiler/fryer chicken cut up, increase baking time to at least 60 minutes or until the juices run clear.)

*Taste of Home 2004 Annual Recipes, Reiman Media Group, Inc.