Month: February 2016

Mothers all over the world are faced with the daily battle of how to get their children to eat certain foods without having to pull out the biggest weapon in our arsenal, “Because I said so!”  Now, I don’t want to spark a debate about whether or not we should make our kids eat things they don’t want to eat, but I will say that I make my kids try everything at least once.  Not only do I want to expose them to as much culinary variety as I can, I want them to be able to go anywhere and understand menus or to be able to go to a friend’s house and not have to demand a separate dinner for themselves.  I have made it abundantly clear that I do not run a diner and you eat what’s in front of you, whether here, or at another house.  Your likes and dislikes will be noted and taken into consideration in the future (maybe.  Meh, probably).

That being said, asparagus was a tough one for me.  Until my friend Sean introduced me to its wonders at a fondue party back in the 90’s (yeah, we still do those), I had no idea what I was missing.  Also, if we’re honest, there is always that moment of panic when you head to the restroom after eating asparagus, when you think you may be dying, only to realize it’s asparagus magic.  I assumed my kids would feel the same trepidation, but the following recipe laid those fears to rest.  On the night I make this meal, the pre-dinner conversation usually goes something like this:

“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

“The chicken with pine nuts, asparagus and penne pasta.”

“Woo-hoo!  Awesome!  Thank you, Mommy!” I’m only Mommy when something really cool goes down these days and last night I even got two hugs for this announcement.

Actually, the best testimony for this meal involves cooking it for our former pastor.  We had invited he and his wife for dinner and they drilled me on what was on the menu.  Apparently, they are picky eaters who don’t let others cook for them and usually bring their own food everywhere they go (just one of their many oddities, and no, it wasn’t dietary issues).  If you know me, you know I wasn’t going to have that, so I convinced them to trust me.  They ended up eating two bowls each and asking to leave with the leftovers.

I hope you and yours feel the same way.  Just note that I am making this meal for three bottomless pits, so if you just want to give it a try, cut the whole recipe in half.  Also, for an easier one-pot method, see the notes below.

Chicken with Asparagus and Roasted Pine Nuts over Penne Pasta

Ingredients

16 oz cooked penne pasta (uncooked, if you choose the 1 pot method below)

32 oz canned chicken broth

1 cup pine nuts

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

4 TBSP olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/2 – 2 cups grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until golden brown (try to avoid the urge to walk away and do something else, lest you end up with the chocolate chestnut color I normally do) and then remove from heat.  Set aside.

Stir fry your chicken in 2 TBSP of the olive oil on medium high until no longer pink.  Remove from heat. *

In a large pot heat 2 TBSP oil on high and saute garlic 2-3 minutes.  Add broth and heat to a gentile boil.  Add asparagus, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.  Toss chicken, cheese, pine nuts and pasta together in the asparagus pot and mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and enjoy.

*One pot directions

I know this is unconventional, but that is just how I roll people…At this point (remember that we’re using a large pot here), drain the chicken, placing it on a plate, and keep warm.  In the same pot, add 2 TBSP of oil and roast the garlic 2-3 min.

Place the chicken and broth back in with the garlic and add extra broth or chicken bullion and water (enough to cover the pasta and asparagus about 5-6 cups total) directly to the pot with the chicken and bring to almost a boil.

Add the uncooked pasta, asparagus, 2 tsp garlic salt, 1 dash poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a gentle boil, stirring often, and cook until pasta and asparagus are tender, 11-13 minutes.

Drain extra liquid and stir in the cheese and pine nuts.  Serve and enjoy.

Note: I love it this way because it gives the pasta a great flavor, making it part of the meal and not just “filler.”

If you’ve ever been in a hurry or just plain tired at night (always my issue), then you know that a home cooked meal can be a rather daunting prospect.  Have no fear.  This easy meal will be a crowd pleaser and will take almost no prep.  You can prepare your own pizza crust or use a store bought tube.

I believed I’ve mentioned that I tend to shoot from the hip in the kitchen, so I would be lying if I said I stick to the following ingredient list.  I made my own pizza sauce with a bit of pesto for a little extra pizazz, but store bought works fine also.  Adjust to your tastes as needed and have fun.

Pizza Bread

Ingredients

1 tube or homemade pizza crust

1 small pack of pepperoni slices

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/8-1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

3 TBSP pizza sauce

garlic salt to taste

1 egg + 1 TBSP milk, beaten together for egg wash

cornmeal

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a cookie sheet, sprinkling with cornmeal.

Roll pizza dough on a counter top sprinkled with cornmeal, forming a rectangle.  Spread the pizza sauce on the dough, stopping 1 inch from the edges and top with cheeses and the pepperoni.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired.

Brush egg wash along the long edges and what will be the outside seam of your bread, then roll, short edge without egg wash first, into a log.

Place seam side down in the center of greased cookie sheet and brush the outside of the rolled bread with egg wash.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired.

Place in your 375 degree oven for 25-35 minutes, until crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven, cool slightly, slice and enjoy!

Not long after adopting the boys and moving to the Western Slope of Colorado, I realized that I had to get a life.  No, seriously.  I was home with the kids 24-7, after traveling for years with my job and the trauma they had experienced before they came to us made things very emotionally and physically draining.  Most importantly, my guys were 4 and 2 and needed the socialization that a few hours in day care would provide.

I looked for a part time job and ended up landing one as the kitchen manager at one of the most beautiful golf courses I’ve ever played at (honestly, I initially chose it because I wanted the free golf) and I loved it.

The downside was that the food offered was criminal considering the setting; frozen beef patties or chicken breasts, fries, chips and such.

You’ve probably realized by now that I can’t abide by boring food and with an entire restaurant kitchen at my disposal, I began to play.  I’d had enough and that’s how the chicken wrap was born.  An instant hit!

I think I’ve replicated the recipe, but I’m not positive.  In the kitchen I might look like I know what I’m doing, but I’m usually winging it; running around, stirring, tasting, chopping and adding…and adding.  People ask for recipes all the time and I usually look at them like a deer in the headlights.  I normally have little to no idea what I did, so that’s been the biggest challenge with this blog.  I’m almost embarrassed to post this recipe with all the “optionals,” but this is how I roll.

I used 4 chicken breasts for this, but you could do 3 and cut the seasoning back a tad.  I am feeding growing boys and a 6’1″ husband, so it’s a crapshoot these days.

Also, realize that I try to tame down my seasoning in these recipes, so feel free to taste and add extra.  Lord knows I do and you won’t hurt my feelings.  The optional ranch dressing, lettuce, cheese and tomato can really tone things down if the heat creeps up on you.

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Chicken Wraps with Old Bay

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, sliced or cubed

1 onion, sliced or chopped

1 bell pepper, sliced or chopped

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP Old Bay Blackened seasoning

1 TBSP Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning

2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

4-6 drops Tabasco Chipotle Sauce (optional)

8-10 Large, burrito flour tortillas

Optional garnishes:

Shredded lettuce

Chopped tomato

Shredded cheddar cheese

Ranch dressing

Directions:

On a large griddle, or in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat and then add the onion and bell pepper.  Saute, stirring until softened, about 10 minutes (less if you like a little crunch and your kids aren’t going through the “I hate onion” phase).

Add the olive oil, then chicken and cook until little pink is showing and liquid begins to collect in the pan or on the griddle, about 3-5 minutes, stirring.

Add the Old Bay, Tony’s, garlic powder, Tabasco, salt and pepper, stirring to coat all chicken pieces.  Continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 5-8 minutes.

I like to drain most of the liquid at this point, add about 1 TBSP of butter, stir and throw extra seasoning into it, if needed, but that’s all optional.

Place cooked chicken, onions and bell peppers onto a warmed tortilla and garnish with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and ranch dressing; roll and enjoy.

Pepper steak.  Two words that often fill me with dread when I am eating out.  I am not trying to be insulting, but most of my experience in restaurants or at other people’s homes have been with a bland, flour and ketchup flavored mystery stew of some kind; slivers of green pepper and onion mocking me with their ability to surrender all flavor, defying all logic.

Of course, the truth is that my mother ruined all other Pepper Steak for me with the following recipe.  Other kids, when asked what they would like for their birthday dinners, usually request pizza, cheeseburgers, etc.  Me?  My go-to meal was always Pepper Steak…well, Mongolian Hot Pot first, then Pepper Steak (we’ll get to Mongolian Hot Pot another day and you will thank me).

I was lucky enough to travel the world with my parents throughout my childhood.  As Peace Corps volunteers first, and then following my father, a biologist, chemist, wildlife specialist and world leader in his field, we scoured the globe to eliminate diseases in underdeveloped countries like the Philippines, Africa and Bangladesh (he’s still at it today in his late 60’s and is, in fact, in India as I write this). We lived in, and visited, some of the most amazing places on Earth.  My mother, like me, loved to learn new cultural cuisine, and I am blessed to have had her pass some of it on to me.  Especially, the following recipe!

In my home, Pepper Steak is in high demand as a comfort food.  We will often use a food processor for the veggies and cut the meat smaller so we can curl up with a bowl and savor it with a spoon.

Today’s recipe (only slightly tweaked, Mom) will be a party in your mouth and tummy.  Enjoy!

The recipe is repeated at the bottom, sans pictures for printing and be sure to check the Notes section.

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Pepper Steak Unleashed

Ingredients

1-1.5 lbs beef, cut into 1 inch strips or cubed (stew meat or your choice steak will work)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 TBSP + 2 tsp Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, separated (1)

1 tsp +  1 tsp garlic powder, separated (2)

2 tsp + 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, separated

3 TBSP olive or other cooking oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan and prevent burning)

4 cups water

2 yellow onions, sliced thinly or finely chopped

2 bell peppers, sliced thinly or finely chopped

1 cup ketchup (3)

1 cup unsalted tomato sauce (3)

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup peanut butter  (4)

Package Cous cous, rice or egg noodles, prepared  (5)

Directions

In a large Zip Loc bag or Tupperware container, combine the flour, 1 TBSP Tony’s, 1 tsp of the garlic powder and 2 tsp of the black pepper.  Mix well and add the sliced beef, shaking to coat all the pieces.

Sliced beef works nicely

I chose to cube my beef

Dredged, my mouth is already watering!

Pretty veggies!

Spoon-ready

In a large pot, fry the dredged meat in oil over medium-high heat until nicely browned, stirring and scraping the bottom of your pot to prevent burning and sticking.  Add extra oil in small drops, if needed.

Reduce heat to medium and add the 4 cups of water.  Cook for 30-40 minutes until meat is tender and liquid begins to thicken, stirring often to prevent burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot, adding small amounts of water, if needed.

When meat is tender, add ketchup, tomato sauce, soy sauce, peanut butter, onions, peppers, 2 tsp Tony’s, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 1/2 tsp black pepper.

Cook over medium or medium-low heat, simmering 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are tender and the flavors blend.

Serve over cous cous.

NOTES

(1) Though I’ve never made this without Tony’s, I’m told it can be done and can still be amazing, so give it a try, if you don’t have any.  If you are not adding peanut butter, you are making a mistake…I mean, you don’t need to add the remaining 2 tsp of Tony’s to your gravy, but just add to taste.

(2) Sometimes I will split the garlic powder with garlic salt.  It’s up to you because the soy sauce can kick the saltiness up.  Just remember that you are serving over cous cous or rice, so the flavor will be slightly diluted, so to speak.

(3) I have chosen to alter the original recipe because it calls for all ketchup and this was a little salty.  Again, you’re serving over cous cous, so it shouldn’t make a big difference if you choose not to use tomato sauce.

(4) Adding peanut butter gives the dish a uniquely amazing flavor you will not regret.  A bit of an African flair, if you will.  Leaving it out converts the dish to regular pepper steak, which is still good, but not the party on your taste buds that peanut butter starts.  Remember this is a dish which needs to cook for a while for the flavors to marry in perfection.

(5) Though you can serve this over rice or egg noodles, cous cous is the absolute best, especially when going the peanut butter route.  If you aren’t familiar with cous cous, it is yummy, light, tiny pasta available at most grocery stores, sold in a small box, or a large plastic container.  It is incredibly easy to prepare; just add it to boiled water, remove from heat, cover 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.   

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Pepper Steak Unleashed

Ingredients

1-1.5 lbs beef, cut into 1 inch strips or cubed (stew meat or your choice steak will work)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 TBSP + 2 tsp Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, separated (1)

1 tsp +  1 tsp garlic powder, separated (2)

2 tsp + 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, separated

3 TBSP olive or other cooking oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan and prevent burning)

4 cups water

2 yellow onions, sliced thinly or finely chopped

2 bell peppers, sliced thinly or finely chopped

1 cup ketchup (3)

1 cup unsalted tomato sauce (3)

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup peanut butter  (4)

Package Cous cous, rice or egg noodles, prepared  (5)

Directions

In a large Zip Loc bag or Tupperware container, combine the flour, 1 TBSP Tony’s, 1 tsp of the garlic powder and 2 tsp of the black pepper.  Mix well and add the sliced beef, shaking to coat all the pieces.

In a large pot, brown the dredged meat in oil over medium-high heat until nicely browned, stirring and scraping the bottom of your pot to prevent burning and sticking.  Add extra oil in small drops, if needed.

Reduce heat to medium and add the 4 cups of water.  Cook for 30-40 minutes until meat is tender and liquid begins to thicken, stirring often to prevent burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot, adding small amounts of water, if needed.

When meat is tender, add ketchup, tomato sauce, soy sauce, peanut butter, onions, peppers, 2 tsp Tony’s, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 1/2 tsp black pepper.  Cook over medium or medium-low heat, simmering simmering 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are tender and the flavors blend.

Serve over cous cous.

NOTES

(1) Though I’ve never made this without Tony’s, I’m told it can be done and can still be amazing, so give it a try, if you don’t have any.  If you are not adding peanut butter, you are making a mistake, I mean, you don’t need to add the remaining 2 tsp of Tony’s to your gravy, but just add to taste.

(2) Sometimes I will split the garlic powder with garlic salt.  It’s up to you because the soy sauce can kick the saltiness up.  Just remember that you are serving over cous cous or rice, so the flavor will be slightly diluted, so to speak.

(3) I have chosen to alter the original recipe because it calls for all ketchup and this was a little salty.  Again, you’re serving over cous cous, so it shouldn’t make a big difference if you choose not to use tomato sauce.

(4) Adding peanut butter gives the dish a uniquely amazing flavor you will not regret.  A bit of an African flair, if you will.  Leaving it out converts the dish to regular pepper steak, which is still good, but not the party on your taste buds that it starts.  Remember this is a dish which needs to cook for a while for the flavors to marry in perfection.

(5) Though you can serve this over rice or egg noodles, cous cous is the absolute best when going the peanut butter route.  If you aren’t familiar with cous cous, it is yummy, light, tiny pasta available at most grocery stores, sold in a small box, or a large plastic container.  It is incredibly easy to prepare; just add it to boiled water, remove from heat, cover 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

If you know me well enough, you know that I loathe fried chicken.  I know that’s sacrilege coming from a Southern girl, but I can’t help it: the greasy chunks of breading, the fear of finding pink at the center of a big bite of drumstick or the chance it is over cooked and I could lose a tooth, all make my stomach turn.

Sadly (or so I once felt), the males in my house adore fried chicken, especially the kids, so I decided to play one day.  The end result is the recipe below and it changed my status from fried chicken hater, to big fan.  Seriously, it’s a wee bit healthier than straight-fried (in that the bulk of the oil is drained on towels and in the oven.  Ok, just go with me on this) and it is cause for great celebration in this house when I announce that’s on the menu.  The crust is perfect, but the sauce is the kicker.  I received a very strange look from J last night when I cleaned my plate and told him I could bathe in this sauce.

Enjoy!

Fried Chicken with Thai Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1 can coconut milk

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 – 1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 – 1 tsp ginger

1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

4 lbs chicken breast, cut into 2 inch strips, or drumsticks, or a mixture

Peanut oil for frying.  Other oils work as well.

Place half of the flour (I will often throw a little Tony’s into this first bowl) into a bowl and the coconut milk into another separate bowl.  In a third bowl, mix the salt, garlic, ginger, cayenne and the remaining flour, combining well.*  Dip the chicken in the plain flour first, then the milk and last the seasoned flour mixture, coating well.

In a large stovetop or electric skillet, fry the chicken in batches until browned with a nice golden crust; move to paper towel to drain.  I learned to only do 5 or 6 pieces at a time to better maintain a frying temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.

Transfer to a greased baking dish, or, to maintain the best crust and for easier clean up, cut wax paper to fit the bottom of a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes depending on the thickness of meat.

Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP + 1/2 tsp corn starch

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 tsp peanut butter

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 – 1/2 tsp ginger

3 TBSP finely chopped, fresh cilantro (dried does fine in a pinch)

Combine all but cilantro into a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and pour over chicken.

* I will often double the recipe for the seasoned flour, reserving half for when the coconut milk renders the mix too chunky.  The finer flour adheres much better for a nicer crust that stays on the chicken through the entire cooking process. 

When we decided I would stay home with the kids, I soon realized that simple domestic chores were not enough to keep my busy brain occupied.  Not that those chores didn’t demand my full-time attention, but ADHD is a relentless companion.  Without constantly learning and doing, depression can creep in, especially when you are a post-menopausal adult woman (yes, it happened early)…SQUIRREL!!!

Um, okay, so thanks to the magic of the internet I’ve been able to learn a lot.  Plus, when your husband is gone for two weeks at a time and you’re watching your pennies, it pays to learn to install a new toilet, faucet, sink, etc. yourself.  When I ran out of renovations at the old house, I turned my full attention to trying new things in the kitchen.  The day my youngest asked for the “gravy hamburgers” they served at school, I set my sights on learning to make Salisbury Steak.

I’ll be honest, I’m nursing some nausea due to the antibiotics I’m on for a sinus infection, so the thought of Salisbury Steak makes my stomach turn, but only for a second.  It’s one of those foods that takes me back to the school cafeterias of my youth, staring at a nasty looking, gelatinous gravy, smothering a flattened, unidentifiable meat puck.  Inside my heart would leap, pretending to hate on the outside, but rejoicing on the inside.  I admit it was a guilty pleasure and I went decades without, but I will no longer deny that I love it.  I hope your family does too, so without further ado…

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First, let’s talk seasoning.  You will see “Tony’s” in many of my recipes.  Tony Chachere’s (pronounced ‘”sash-er-ees in the Cajun way to thwart true French pronunciation on certain words) is a Creole seasoning available in grocery stores throughout the country now, or online.  It’s a blend of many different herbs, salt and pepper, but is also available in a salt-free version.  We use it on everything because it is amazing; no real heat to it, but it starts a party in your mouth immediately.  You will never be able to eat pizza without it again.  You’ve been warned.

I’ve also grown rather fond of roasted garlic salt when I don’t have time to roast my own garlic, or I’m simply feeling lazy and this one is quite good.

 Salisbury Steak with Creamy Mushroom Gravy*

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1/3 cup plus 1 TBSP crumbled Ritz, or similar crackers

1 tsp salt, or less, if you’re not a fan

1 tsp black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

4 TBSP minced onion

1 tsp poultry seasoning, divided in half

6 TBSP butter

8-16 ounces of canned mushrooms, with the liquid (depending on your feelings for mushrooms, you can replace with 1/4 cup milk or water, if need be.)

6 TBSP all-purpose flour

6 Beef Bullion cubes (yes, that’s a lot.  Sodium intake for today is taken care of, but I suppose you could hold back a few)

6 cups of milk

1 tsp Tony’s (If you don’t have any, do not fret.  The flavor will not suffer) 

Garlic salt to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, eggs, cracker crumbs, onion, salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp of the poultry seasoning.  It wouldn’t be a terrible idea to throw in a dash of the Tony’s and roasted garlic salt, if available, at this point.  Mix with your hands until ingredients are combined without overworking the meat.  Shape the patties, usually 6-8, keeping them around half an inch, but no more than 1 inch thick.

Place the patties in a large skillet and cook them over medium-high heat, being careful not to burn them, usually 4-6 minutes per side, turning until they are browned and cooked through to your taste.  Do not press the patties flat while cooking, as this robs them of their flavor and can make ground beef taste dry.  Drain the grease and place the patties on a plate, making sure to keep them warm.

Don’t judge my patty sizes. I hate working with ground beef.

The absolute best tongs for this job!

In the same skillet, melt your butter and then add the mushrooms with liquid.  Stir and cook for about 3 minutes and then sprinkle the flour in, mixing until no lumps appear.  Add the bullion cubes, remaining 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning, Tony’s, a dash of the garlic salt and slowly, the milk (you can add a bit less if you like a thicker gravy).  Cook and stir over medium heat until the gravy is smooth and starts to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste and then return the patties to the gravy, cooking on low heat, uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

My stirring assistant did a fantastic job.

Let’s face it, there is just no way to make this stuff look appetizing. Luckily, the taste will quickly distract you from its appearance.

Serve over egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

*You can cut the gravy in half if you want the meat to stand alone, but living in Louisiana makes us gravy folk.  I do however recommend the egg noodles since they are lighter.  We like our gravy rather thick and it hugs the noodles quite nicely!