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DinnerTime Web Archive 2009 May
| Blown-Away-By-Convenience-Food Dinner by April May 31, 2009 | The absolute best "heat it up in the microwave" meat I've ever had, aka Hormel Beef Roast with Au Jus
Boiled red potatoes with olive oil and s&p
Honey-Butter Cornbread
*they begged for no veggies* | | | | Truffle Flatbread and Smoky Shallot Chard by Rebecca May 30, 2009 | Run, don't walk to Trader Joe's and pick up their frozen Black Truffle Flatbread. It is heavenly!! It's a piece of pillowy flatbread with chopped truffles, gorgonzola cheese and truffle oil. So decadent.
I ate a good-sized slice of flatbread with a side of fresh farmer's market chard cooked down with a tiny bit of bacon and shallots.
Sometimes 10-minute meals are the best kind. | | | | Lemon Rosemary Chicken by Heather May 29, 2009 | | Yes, again. It's one of the few meals that gets a unanimous seal of approval in my house. With garlicky quinoa and brown rice and Greek salad. | | | | Enchilada Casserole by Amber May 28, 2009 | | http://heygoodlookinwhatscookin.blogspot.com/2008/02/beef-enchilada-casserole.html | | | | risotto by Chris May 28, 2009 | This was a kind of rely-team affair.
Mr 14 started the whole thing off, with stock boiling and veges (onion, carrot, broccoli, garlic and thyme) diced.
Then the whole dicing the onion thing got too much - child dispatched to the shower.
Well, I had the easy bit - sauted the onion, garlic and carrot in plenty of olive oil and butter
Added arborio rice (2 cups) and sweated until the pan started to crackle
Gave the thirsty rice a nice slosh of white wine (NZ sav blan - boatshed bay - very nice)
then ladled stock in a bit at a time until rice was cooked.
Broccoli added to the stock in the last 5 min or so
Stirred through feta, thyme and some finely chopped parsley just before serving
Thumbs up all round. | | | | Chicken & Veggies by Stephanie May 28, 2009 | Got this idea from a friend of a friend on FB. Really good!
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup rice (not instant)
1 cup water
frozen vegetables
frozen chicken breasts or tenderloins
French-fried onions
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Mix soup, rice, water, vegetables, cheese and some FF onions together in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 9x13 dish. Place frozen chicken pieces on top. Bake uncovered in a 400° oven for 45-60 minutes. Sprinkle remaining onions over top and bake an additional 5 minutes. | | | | Chicken Enchilada Soup by Stephanie May 27, 2009 | 1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mild enchilada sauce (red kind)
1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup
1 can chopped green chiles (optional)
2 2/3 cups milk
3 chicken tenderloins, cooked and chopped OR 1 can chopped chicken
Combine all ingredients into a medium saucepan and heat through. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Yum! | | | | Chicken "stir fry" by Lara May 27, 2009 | semi stir fry.
chicken boiled in sesame teriyaki sauce (still using that trader joe bottle, YUM!) and sliced/shredded. mixed in with yakisoba noodles, snap peas, shredded carrots, large slices of green onions and about half a bag of shredded cabbage.
served up with a shake or 4 of toasted sesame seeds and egg rolls. :) | | | | Fish & Chips by Andy May 26, 2009 | | Fish, chips, fish fish fish and chips | | | | Beef Stew by Lara May 26, 2009 | | shook up the stew meat in a ziploc of flour, onion powder, S&P. crock potted the stew meat for a good 8 hours after braising it quickly in a little EVOO. added in some cut up carrots, celery and a whole onion around the 5-6 hour mark. forgot about the pots - so ended up roasting some wedges in EVOO and S&P. had some rosemary bread from trader joes in the freezer - sliced it up and toasted it to go with. YUMM! | | | | Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Brandied Cherry-Rhubarb Compote by Becky May 26, 2009 | Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Brandied Cherry-Rhubarb Compote
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage (I used a combination of marjoram and rosemary)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, ground in spice mill or in mortar with pestle
2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins (about 2 large or 3 medium), trimmed of fat and sinew
Mix 3 tablespoons olive oil, ground black pepper, salt, dried sage, and ground fennel in small bowl. Rub oil mixture all over pork tenderloins; place in large baking dish and let stand 20 minutes.
Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, turning pork occasionally, about 8 minutes longer for medium tenderloins and 10 minutes for large.
Transfer pork to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; arrange on platter. Serve with Rhubarb Compote.
Brandied Cherry-Rhubarb Compote
Makes about 3 cups
4 cups 1-inch pieces fresh rhubarb (from about 1-1/2 pounds) *
2 cups brandy-infused cherries *
1 1/4 cups sugar (I cut this WAY back based on reviews. You can always add more.)
1/3 cup mixture of cherry cider and homemade cherry brandy *
Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until rhubarb is very soft and begins to fall apart, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer compote to medium bowl. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.) Serve cold.
* I happened to have homemade cherry brandy on hand that I cannot resist using with any pork preparation. If you don't have the brandy, or the cherries, use more rhubarb and cider or water.
Adapted from Bon Appétit April 2005 | | | | 30-Minute Shepherd's Pie by Judy May 24, 2009 | My husband made dinner tonight - he found this recipe online from Rachael Ray (whose show he hates by the way!) AND he shopped for the ingredients!!
This went together very quickly - he said the only trick was keeping everything warm until you put it under the broiler. This is a healthier version of what I remember as a kid. Instead of cream, he used the chicken broth. and he used ground turkey instead of beef or lamb.
We had No-Pudge Fudge (I made it from the box, but added a smidge of instant espresso powder and some orange extract), strawberries and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Yummy! | | | | 30-Minute Shepherd's Pie by Judy May 24, 2009 | My husband made dinner tonight from a recipe he found online by Rachael Ray (whose show he hates, by the way!) AND he shopped for the ingredients!
It's a healthier version than the one I remember as a kid - he used chicken broth instead of cream, and he used ground turkey instead of the beef or lamb.
For dessert, I made No-Pudge Fudge (from the box, but I added instant espresso powder and some orange extract) and some strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Yummy!
30-Minute Shepherd's Pie (Rachael Ray)
(Note: have everything pre-measured and ready to go - it'll make it a lot easier!)
Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp Sour cream or softened cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream OR for a lighter version, substitute vegetable or chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (one turn around the pan)
1 3/4 lbs ground beef or lamb (he used turkey)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 c beef or chicken stock or broth
2 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 c frozen peas
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsely
Directions:
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, yolk and cream or chicken broth. Mash until potatoes are almost smooth.
While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with meat. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 to 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second smaller skillet over medium heat, cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
Preheat broiler to high. fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 - 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole with chopped parsely and serve. | | | | Pizza by Heather May 23, 2009 | | All store-bought ingredients, assembled by 4yo. He did a great job! I put pesto on my half. Yummy! | | | | Prawn curry by Chris May 23, 2009 | Today we lost 3 hours of life to Ikea. Seriously - how did that happen? I even congratulated my better half on how efficient we'd been.
Still, 3 hours + dodgy driving on the freeway with an overloaded car + a couple more hours wrangling with an Allen key....dinner wasn't that high on the agenda.
BUT - we had beautiful veges delivered last night, and some frozen prawns tucked away, so a quick stir-fry with a ginger, garlic, coriander, chili, cumin and cinnamon curry. Add in some coconut milk and steamed rice - quick, indulgent and delish. If only Ikea was this easy.
Finished with a pear and pecan tart - just squares of puff pastry with quartered pears, some crushed pecans, brown sugar and butter...mmmm | | | | Pasta Salad Reruns by Becky May 21, 2009 | Remember when the summer tv schedule was nothing but reruns? Having already watched the entire seasons of Happy Days AND Three's Company, I was content to leave the tv dark on summer evenings and go play outside, staying up late with the sun. I remember a summer when my dad and I had an evening ritual of batting practice in the yard. It was probably a (vain) attempt to improve my eye/hand coordination, which was - and still is - sorely lacking and automatically made me one of the last picked for any team sport. It was a fun, carefree time, when reruns meant you could mix things up a little.
These days, the summer tv schedule is filled with reality shows, new sitcoms, and re-scheduled seasons of regular programming. Likewise, my summers now are less carefree, more work and less play. My work is seasonal and I'm just beginning the marathon of the tourist season, which is at its peak approximately from May through September. Therefore, I am experiencing my own summer reruns, in the shape of make-ahead dinners.
I used to call this salad "Scotty's Favorite Summer Supper." Now I call it relief during a busy time! Thursday night I made a big batch to have with grilled halibut, and then I ate some for lunch on Friday, for dinner Friday night with beef spare ribs, and for dinner again tonight with leftover spare ribs. This is what my life has come to - endless reruns. Anyone for a game of baseball?
Creamy Garlic Dressing
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon pesto
1-1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook 1/2 lb. pasta until al dente. Add 5 cups broccoli florets and diced peeled stem to the boiling pasta for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain all, rinse under cold water, and drain well. Toss with dressing, 1/2 a chopped red bell pepper, and 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts.
This will keep well in the refrigerator for up to, but not much more than, 3 days.
Makes 6 servings. | | | | Salmon by Lara May 20, 2009 | delicious salmon. trader joe's soyiyaki marinade... SO good!
VERY fresh asparagus from my farmer's delivery today!
yellow rice - only because we had jasmine rice last night.
side salad that was very crisp and my lurvely dill/ranch dressing.
iced tea! :D | | | | Sloppy Joes by Alyssa May 19, 2009 | | with corn on the cob! Yummmm...the kids loved it! | | | | Tandoori-style grilled chicken by Becky May 19, 2009 | Since I don't have a proper tandoor oven, I don't feel I can rightly call it "Tandoori Chicken". Whatever it is, it was pretty yummy.
I removed the skin from chicken (in this case drumsticks), and marinated it in yogurt seasoned with cumin, coriander, turmeric, a pinch of cayenne, fresh garlic and ginger, garam masala, and salt. Grilled them (they stuck like crazy to the grill; should have oiled it), and served with rice, bok choy, and a little raita-inspired salad of cucumber, tomato, and just a little onion with yogurt, cilantro, and lemon juice.
Namaste! | | | | Beer basted barbeque Chicken Tacos by Meredith May 19, 2009 | Barbeque Chicken
Beans
Corn | | | | Chicken Stew by Lara May 19, 2009 | | same ol same ol. | | | | Wannabe Asian Dinner by April May 18, 2009 | Homemade chicken egg rolls
Linguine (boiled in chicken broth)
Chicken breast (quickly heated in peanut oil with pressed garlic and green onions then added chicken broth to pan until cooked through...seasoned with soy sauce) | | | | Ravioli by Lara May 18, 2009 | costco ravioli is goooood! who knew!?
plain ol 3 cheese ravioli - boiled up and drained. layered in a baking dish with some of that yummmmmmy costco provolone cheese and broiled till bubbly. very delish.
side salad with parmesan cheese. | | | | Char Siu Ribs by Alyssa May 18, 2009 | with rice and salad.
I tried it in the crock pot and think I will make smaller pieces next time because the flavor wasn't saturated enough despite marinading overnight. Still good, though. | | | | roast roo by Chris May 17, 2009 | It may be a surprise to our Northern hemisphere friends that we don't eat Kangaroo very often. Or maybe it is a surprise that we eat it at all.
It is a lovely lean meat with only subtle game-overtones. Like beef but stronger. These were two loin roasts, marinaded for 48hrs in red wine, rosemary, garlic and EVOO.
Roasted in a slow oven on a bed of chunks of onion, zucchini, more garlic, eggplant and pumpkin.
Served the veges with chickpeas tossed through them and a sprinkling of fresh rosemary for lift.
added potato bake (skin-on pontiac pots, warm milk, salt, a little cheese) because its cold and we are suckers for it.
included some steamed cabbage.
lovely, though the pumpkin was a little too soft to hold up to the salad mixing. It gave everything a nice sweet flavour, but next time I'll add sweet potato instead.
| | | | Low Country Boil by Michele May 17, 2009 | INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
Coaches Low Country Boil (TM)
5 pounds new potatoes
3 (16 ounce) packages cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed
5 pounds whole crab, broken into pieces
4 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
| | | | Summer On A Plate! by Lara May 17, 2009 | early summer meal... today FELT like summer! gorgeous day.
broiled salmon that i marinated in soy sauce and raw sugar... INCREDIBLE corn on the cob that needed absolutely NOTHING on it... terrific cauliflower, carrots and snap peas that i parboiled in some salty water.
whole wheat 'butter bread'
VERY delish - everyone had second helpings! | | | | Rick's Famous Spaghetti by Lisa May 17, 2009 | Homemade spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, herbs, and lean ground beef
Fresh pasta (al dente, of course)
Grilled garlic bread with fresh parsley
Salad of mixed baby greens with raspberry vinagrette
Brewed iced tea | | | | Greek Chicken and Pasta Salad by April May 17, 2009 | Sliced cucumbers
Pasta (tossed with Greek yogurt, mayo, pressed garlic cloves, lemon juice, salt and pepper)
Sliced chicken (rubbed with oregano, lemon pepper and pressed garlic clove and pan-cooked in olive oil) | | | | Mayo Salmon by Alyssa May 16, 2009 | with mixed greens topped with Balsamic and Spanish olives.
YUM!!! | | | | Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad by April May 16, 2009 | Romaine lettuce (from a bag)
Ground beef (cooked) mixed with ketchup, mustard and diced pickles
Tomato
Shredded cheese | | | | Salad by Lara May 16, 2009 | | i had a nice salad with my yummy dill/ranch salad dressing. kids had leftover ziti and snap peas. made a frozen digiorno cheese pizza more like a cheesy bread... it was awful! | | | | Hawaiian Meatballs by Heather May 16, 2009 | | made 'em in the crockpot. secret ingredients are tabasco and dark brown sugar. i used ground pork instead of beef. on a bed of jasmine rice. | | | | Becky's Capellini Caprese by Heather May 15, 2009 | Substituted the chicken for shrimp because it was faster, and just 'cause I wanted some! Also left out the pine nuts, as I'm not a nutty kinda person (although, my friends would tend to disagree :p).
Thank you soooo much for posting this recipe, Becky! It was quick, easy and molto bene! | | | | Baked Ziti by Lara May 15, 2009 | regular old baked ziti & side salad with really good dill ranch dressing from a local fav.
did use this fabulous aged provolone from Costco ontop... melted sooooo nummy! | | | | Bison Burgers by Judy May 14, 2009 | Yum! We've switched to Bison meat instead of beef for our burgers - really about the only time we buy ground red meat anymore.
We took 2 packages of ground bison (bought at Safeway), added 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion, about 1 tsp or so of Trader Joe's Steak & Chop Grill & Broil salt-free seasoning, and about 2 Tbsp. Bull's Eye Original BBQ sauce. Formed patties, then sprinkled with a LITTLE sea salt. Son grilled on BBQ - and served on Whole wheat buns - great!
Served with Trader Joe's roasted corn, and a salad with carrots and croutons (all we had in the house for some reason) | | | | Brown Sugar Pork Chops by Teri Jo May 14, 2009 | Ingredients:
6 Pork Chops
6 Tablespoons Butter
6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (or 3T of Splenda brown sugar)
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
1/4-1/2 Onion, sliced
Directions:
In microwave safe bowl, place butter. Melt in microwave, approximately one minute, give or take. Stir. Add brown sugar and soy sauce, stir until smooth.
Pound and/or poke chops with a fork and place in gallon size zip close baggie. Pour in brown sugar mixture. Make sure bag is securely closed and mash around chops to evenly coat. Let marinate one hour, give or take.
Heat oil in pan over medium to medium high heat, add chops. Lightly sprinkle with Garlic Garlic and black pepper. Fry chops until nicely browned, turning over once. When turning over chops, add onions. Remove chops when done and continue to fry onions until lightly caramelized.
Place onions on top of chops and serve with rice. | | | | Chicken Crowns and Leek soup by Lara May 14, 2009 | first ever attempt at leek soup - you'd think i'd go off of a recipe... word for word, but no, i decided to wing it. came out DAYUM good, too!
'was' going to do a knock off of heather's chicken braid from a few weeks ago... but timing, kids and mistakes in the kitchen ended up making these chicken crown things. again, winging it.
mixed up 1/4 cup of softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup diced green pepper, 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, 1 cup shredded chicken (that i had quick boiled in chicken broth with garlic, onion powder and S&P). spooned little bits of this mix into crescent dough and sort of 'pursed' it up. served it up with par-boiled broccoli sprinkled with shredded cheddar.
the leek soup was too easy. i had originally planned on using the sliced leeks (and that broccoli up there) in the chicken braid - again - timing and children interrupted those plans. so i fudged out a quick soup. boiled up some sliced pots in 4 cups chicken broth for about 25 minutes. dusted off my blender and put about 1/2 cup to a cup into the blender and gave it a whirl with 1/4 cup whipping cream. dash of S&P and back into leeks and potatoes in the pot. it was VERY tasty! how bout them apples?
no pic. too much chaos. sorry. | | | | Matzoh Ball Soup by Heather May 14, 2009 | | Pestilence calls for bubbe's kosher penicillin. It never fails! I already feel much better. | | | | Moroccan Ravioli by April May 14, 2009 | | Moroccan Ravioli | | | | Beef Tacos by Lara May 13, 2009 | adapted from Becky's pork carnitas... no where near as yummy looking as hers... but still good.
served up with mexican rice and a mish-mash mexican bean side.
i used a beef shoulder marinated in lime and garlic... crockpotted for about 6 hours in a bottle of moose drool ale and some lime juice. served shredded on a warmed tortilla with a sprinkle of cilantro. not fancy - but VERY good. | | | | Orange Chicken by Teri Jo May 13, 2009 | This is a recipe that is supposed to be the Panda Express Orange Chicken. It was a hit when I made it last night. I made mine without the the hot red chilies and green onions and it still tasted great. Next time I make it I want to use Splenda instead of sugar for the Orange Sauce.
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
White pepper
Oil (for frying)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon minced ginger root (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 dash crushed hot red chilies
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon rice wine
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
***Orange Chicken Sauce***
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon water
5 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons white vinegar
Directions:
Cut chicken into approximately 2 inch pieces, place in large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil, mix well.
In small bowl, combine Orange Sauce ingredients, whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil for deep-frying in pan or wok to 375 degrees.
Stir cornstarch and flour together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat. Fry chicken pieces until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Heat large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic, fry until fragrant. (Careful to not burn the garlic.) If using crushed chilies and green onions, add now, stir. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil.
Now add fried chicken to pot, stirring until well mixed.
In small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch and water, stir until smooth. Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thickened. Stir in sesame oil.
Serve with rice.
| | | | Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Asparagus, Feta, and Prawns by Becky May 12, 2009 | Tonight I was going to make another dish from Bon Appetit - Pasta with Lemon, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese - but got distracted along the way. I noticed a bag of pizza dough in the fridge from my last trip to Trader Joe's (yes, yes, I know how easy it is to make pizza dough, but I still think my time is worth more than $1.39...). Hmmm, maybe I can take some inspiration from this pasta dish and turn it into pizza!
I rolled the dough out into two manageable size rounds that would fit on my grill, and grilled them lightly on both sides. Then I removed them and topped them with pesto and (raw) prawns. Back onto the grill over low heat, top down, until the prawns are turning pink and starting to curl up.
Add the asparagus that I grilled last night to use for tonight's pasta, a little lemon zest, and a healthy sprinkling of feta cheese. Top down, and continue to grill until heated through.
Add a lovely side salad and we've got dinner. Bon Appetit! | | | | Homemade Spinach Pasta by Monica May 12, 2009 | | My first time making homemade pasta! Not too shabby, but it didn't taste enough like spinach to add the extra steps. Tossed with EVOO, parm cheese, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Nice. | | | | Mom's Mother's Day Request by Lisa May 11, 2009 | Blackened Chicken Breast
Fettucini Alfredo
Caesar Salad
Tea | | | | Moroccan-Spiced Apricot Chicken by April May 11, 2009 | Moroccan-Spiced Apricot Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Stove Top Chicken Flavored Stuffing
Green Giant Broccoli and Cheese | | | | Mother's Day by Heather May 11, 2009 | Rack o' lamb with my fave marinade: white wine, dijon mustard, garlic, pepper, fresh mint and dill. Baby reds with garlic and dill. Not pictured: simple romaine, tomato and cuke salad w/ homemade ranch dressing.
An amazing store-bought tiramisu with a cuppa Earl Grey for dessert.
Best part: hub and I dined late, after the kids went to bed, so we were actually able to - gasp! - have an uninterrupted conversation! | | | | Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese by Becky May 11, 2009 | My new issue of Bon Appetit arrived last week and I immediately scanned through it to find new and exciting recipes to try this month. Once again, they proved that simple can be delicious, with this recipe from the "15 Dishes in 15 Minutes" article - http://tinyurl.com/q4jbjh. It was sooooo easy to make, and mine actually looked as good as the picture in the magazine! (It is also featured on the front page of the Bon Appetit website.)
You will notice this earned 4 stars from me - a high rating in my book. I could eat this again and again, and again the next night.
I served this with steamed cauliflower and broccoli, and potatoes baked in a packet on the grill that I topped with homemade pesto. (To prepare the potatoes, slice almost all the way through, dot with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap in foil. Grill until soft.)
Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (5 to 6 ounces each)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence*
1 3- to 4-ounce wedge blue cheese, cut into 6 slices
* Sold in the spice section of supermarkets and at specialty foods stores. I made my own herb blend with dried thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and ground fennel seed.
1. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Whisk vinegar, 3 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Add to chicken; seal bag. Chill 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack generously with oil. Arrange chicken on grill. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to plates; top each with slice of cheese.
| | | | Spanikopita by Chris May 10, 2009 | Spanikopita with a spicy cucumber relish cooked by the Teenage chef.
A few modifications from the original: puff pastry instead of filo, included some feta into the egg mix, used silverbeet, and seasoned only with a little salt, pepper and some finely chopped rosemary.
Cucumber relish - grated cucumber, chopped jalapeno chilis, natural yoghurt, flat leafed parsley.
A perfect mothers day feast | | | | A quickie by Becky May 8, 2009 | Today I was running at full tilt all day; from the moment I crawled out of bed, a little woozy from early-morning insomnia until the moment I sit to write this. I somehow managed to get in five loads of laundry, make four batches of soap, and pack one mail order, all before 1:00. Add a trip to the grocery store, the post office, and Cash and Carry, and I was, as a friend so eloquently put it recently, "plum tuckered." My back and shoulders were screaming at me to stop stirring, carrying, and folding.
I decided to find refuge in an evening yoga class. It's a nice way to end the day, but I never know what to do about dinner when attending a 6:00 p.m. class; I can't really eat beforehand, lest I want my downward dog to disturb my digestive process. And generally, if I wait to prepare a meal until I get home after 7:30 I am famished.
So today I had a late afternoon smoothie (I felt decadent using fresh strawberries rather than frozen), and I planned a quickie for dinner - pasta carbonara and the simplest salad. In the door by 7:35, on the plate by 8:00. Not bad. | | | | Teriyaki Chicken and leek by Chris May 8, 2009 | I've eaten yakatori leeks in tokyo - lovely and sweet cooked over charcoal, so I knew that these would marry nicely with another Japanese favorite of ours, Teriyaki.
Two medium-sized leeks, cleaned carefully, and cut into 3cm tubes (white parts only). Sauted in a little garlic oil before adding the chicken to the pan.
I seared chicken breasts, skin down, in a hot skillet, then covered so that they were cooked in the steam of the chicken and leek juices.
Added one part mirin, one part tamari and one part brown sugar to the pan, and let the sauce bubble up and caramelize over the chicken.
Served with ginger-roasted pumpkin and plain boiled rice, topped with seaweed and sesame flakes.
| | | | Tomato & Mushroom Omelet by Heather May 7, 2009 | | Feeling rundown today, not enough energy to put together a proper meal. A little tomato and cuke salad on the side, plus sweet potato fries. I did take a pic, but I'm too tired to upload it :p | | | | To the rescue! by Heather May 7, 2009 | | Well, the chicken breasts weren't thawed in time, so I dug around in the freezer and found a bag of frozen BBQ chicken wings the husband bought a couple of weeks ago (I joked him about it, but they were good) AND these awesome panko-breaded baked onion rings I found at the organic market. Only one pan to wash :D Watermelon for dessert. | | | | update & fixes by Chris May 7, 2009 | The 'publish to newsfeed' popup now automatically appears after a dinner is posted (unless you have it disabled in app settings).
Before the update, to publish to the newsfeed one had to click the 'big blue publish to newsfeed button'.
The popup would fail if a photo wasn't included when creating a dinner - that's been fixed now.
Thanks, happy DTiming! Chris | | | | Simple beans by Chris May 6, 2009 | Cooking is all too hard at the moment. But it's cold, and the family needs comfort food.
Simple bean casserole to the rescue - literally 10 mins on the stove top.
I cooked down a diced onion, diced carrot and diced stick of celery in a little butter and ricebran oil, adding a clove of mashed garlic and cumin and a diced banana chili once the onion had softened a little.
Added a drained tin of kidney beans and a whole tin of crushed Roma tomatoes. warmed the beans through, spooned into bowls and topped with corn chips, grated cheese, diced avocado and a little sour cream.
Easy, and not too shabby for a 10min can't-be-asked-meal.
| | | | Pesto Shrimp Pasta by Lara May 6, 2009 | nothing fancy... super easy. pesto from costco... a busy mom's gotta love pre-made pesto! no, it isn't as good as fresh - but it's about the closest thing i've had!
spaghetti noodles and regular ol frozen shrimp.
served up with a pretty garden salad with that yummy lime dressing. | | | | Baked Corned Beef by Sheryl May 6, 2009 | Hi, I had a craving for corned beef and this turned out really well.. here it is...
1 package leanest corned beef you can find
Take the seasoning packet from the package of corned beef, go outside and hammer the packet with a mallot, (really - I am not kidding). This crushes the peppercorns, coriander, & other seasonings so the flavor releases without getting it all over or ruining your counters. Place the beef in some sort of oven pan that can accommodate the beef with juices. Then open the packet & dry rub the beef with the seasonings. Add sliced oranges on top of the beef, (fatty side up). Place one coarsely chopped onion around the beef and approx. 1/4 cup of orange juice, (you can just use water if that is all you have). Cover with foil and bake per directions, (about 25 minutes per lb. at 350 degrees). Remove cover for last 20 minutes or so. Serve with mashed potatoes, (or boiled potatoes & cabbage during st. patty's day). Pretty Yummy when you get a craving for a salty dish, ( though the orange juice cuts the salt tast and makes it taste perfect).
This source of this recipe was found on the internet several years ago. I can't find it now and never wrote it down but I still use the main ingredients listed above. My compliments and appreciation to whomever first created this recipe!
Sheryl | | | | Mexican Steak & Beans by Heather May 5, 2009 | A friend kindly shared this via FB - a very unique crockpot recipe (seriously, all I ever make in it are roasts and stews), not too labor-intensive, and crazy delicious. Win!
I followed her directions to the letter, so I'll just cut-and-paste them here:
************
1 1/2 lb. beef flank steak
1 10 oz. can chopped tomatoes with green chile peppers (I use Rotel)
1 medium onion chopped (I cut it into wedges and put it on the bottom of the crock pot)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder (I use more!)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 small sweet peppers cut into strips
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups cooked hot rice (I use yellow rice)
crumbled queso fresco (I use Sargento's Mexican blend shredded cheese)
- Place meat in slow cooker (I put onion wedges in first).
- In a small bowl stir together undrained tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt and
pepper. Pour over meat.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours/ high for 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 (I do low for 6 1/2 - 7)
- If on low, turn to high heat setting, add in pepper strips and pinto beans and cook for another half
hour.
- Remove meat, cool slightly, shred across the grain (I find it's easier to use 2 forks and just shred it in
the slow cooker).
Serve meat and bean mixture on top of rice, garnish with cheese and additional fresh oregano if desired.
***************
Very satisfying and had a nice kick. Planning on rolling leftovers up in a tortilla for lunch tomorrow. Will definitely make this again! Thank you, Debbie! | | | | peter by Peter May 5, 2009 | | a tin of pea and ham soup | | | | Grilled Cilantro Chicken by Judy May 5, 2009 | Found this recipe online at Myrecipes.com (originally a Sunset Mag recipe) while doing a Google search for some way to use my bumper crop of early-bolting cilantro. Yum! It's a keeper, says the family!! Also found a bunch more recipes I'd like to try in the near future (while I still have homegrown cilantro!)
The easy marinade looks kind of odd with all the cilantro in it, but it works!
With ingredients like honey, lime juice, garlic and cilantro, how can it be bad!!
I made the marinade and my son grilled it - great collaboration!!
| | | | Chicken Sausage with Asparagus, Penne & Sundried Tomato Pesto by Rebecca May 5, 2009 | ...phew.
What else do I call it?
This was one of those 10 minute one bowl meals that I love. Sauteed some chopped up chicken sausage and asparagus in sundried tomato pesto with a little tomato sauce, served it with whole wheat penne. One big bowl. Perfect. | | | | Cinco de Mayo! by Lara May 5, 2009 | started off with a little guac... nothing fancy - just smashed up 2 avocados and added salt and pepper! the chips are something i grabbed on a whim at Costco earlier in the day... they were WICKED limey!!! so glad i didn't add any lime juice!
remembered i had my lovely friend Laura's Canadian maple spice rub for salmon... she's cheeky that Laura... ;) (thank you, laura, it was very good - hubb declared it his fav!)
zucchini is on it's last legs - but still good... no purple/red onion in the house. darn.
steamed jasmine rice... love this stuff.
so yea - not so mexicana... but i did have guac, so that was our homage to Mexico for the day! :D | | | | Burger Salad by Monica May 4, 2009 | Out of hamburger buns so I decided to make a salad:
one small leftover crumbled burger, romaine and head lettuce, tomatoes, chopped dill pickles, shredded cheese drizzled with a worchester sauce, ketchup, mayo, mustard dressing. It was AWESOME!!! | | | | My secret weapon to keep us in the Northwest by Becky May 4, 2009 | My husband grew up in Southern California, eating the homemade tamales of his godmother and enjoying many "authentic" Mexican-American foods on a regular basis. He wandered north at some point and landed in the rainy burg of Seattle, which he intended to be a temporary home. Until he met me.
I'm a transplant from the Midwestern US, and enjoy Seattle's down to earth culture, varied weather, and access to the outdoors. Scott likes it here, too, but does not quite share my appreciation for cold days (but they come with warm socks and fireplaces!), gray skies (the diffuse light is beautiful!), or Norwegian culture (actually, that one I don't get, either).
Every February, he starts talking about how it is always 70 degrees in San Diego, and how we should move there. That's when I break out the posole. Posole is a chile-based Mexican stew of meats, vegetables, and, most important, posole (or hominy). There are as many variations on posole as any other traditional dish. Some are thicker, some thinner, the meat can vary, etc. I make mine something like a chili without the tomatoes. It always satisfies his yearnings for home, until the next craving.
Saute onion, celery, and bell pepper in a small amount of oil. Add spices: Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, garlic, and chile paste (see * below). Add liquid - here I used the liquid from cooking the pork roast in the crockpot, along with the chile soaking water. Add meat - I used shredded pork. Toss in some beans and don't forget the (cooked) posole or hominy. Serve topped with your choice of goodies - cilantro, sliced radishes, shredded cabbage, avocado, diced tomatoes... And dream of SoCal.
* I love to make chile paste for this, since it adds a real richness and depth to the broth. Soak a couple of dried New Mexican chiles in hot water until they soften. Blend to a puree, and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add the resultant paste to the pot while sauteeing the veges and spices. | | | | Not Fajitas Part II by Lara May 4, 2009 | so i had the fajita meat marinating in the fridge when last i posted. went to the store the next day and bought a beautiful red and gorgeous green pepper to add. lovely.
get home.. lovingly cut the peppers... put the spanish rice on to cook... stir up the meat and give it a thorough cook... get out the sour cream... the salsa... the shredded cheese... and... boom. it hits me.
i forgot to buy tortillas.
only made more embarrassing by the fact that not a day earlier - i had throw out frozen ones that had been in the freezer for WAY too long.
so - what to do!? tossed the meat in a bun and served the family faux cheese steaks! LOL!! | | | | Roast chicken by Chris May 3, 2009 | A nice medley of autumn vege, roasted to accompany the chook.
onions, pumpkin, zucchini, carrot and potatoes.
The stars, however, where the banana chilis. Long and sweet, I stuffed them with a simple mix of bread crumbs and blue cheese. scrumptious. | | | | Tender (and CHEAP) flank steak! by Rebecca May 3, 2009 | In the interest of economizing, I picked up a big slab of cheap, ultra-lean (ie: ultra-tough) flank steak, determined to transform it into a tender and juicy meal without stewing it. 2 pounds for $6.00. I could not resist.
I marinated it in olive oil, red wine vinegar, Bragg's, fresh chopped garlic and some dry seasonings for about 2 hours. I got my well-seasoned cast iron grill pan nice and hot, and seared the meat for 6 minutes on each side. I took the meat off the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Next, I sliced the meat SUPER THIN against the grain with a very sharp knife. It was DELICIOUS. So so so juicy and tender....tasted like an expensive cut of meat and had excellent flavor from the marinade. It was unfortunately too rare for my husband so I throw his slices back in the pan for a couple minutes.
Now I have to come up with some ideas for the leftovers! | | | | In praise of the lamington by Chris May 3, 2009 | This is the soul food of the school yard, the driver behind fundraising bake-sales and the highlight of my Sunday afternoon teas with gran (and yes, my mum still brings lamingtons to my kids).
Feather light
coconut over chocolate floats
childhood dream.
and from my CWA cookbook:
Cornflour sponge:
3 eggs, whisked until frothy
4 tablespoons castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
125g wheaten cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
125g butter, melted
Add the sugar and vanilla slowly to the beaten eggs, continuing to beat the mixture. Add the melted butter
Sift flour and baking powder three times. Yes three.
Fold into the egg mixture
Pour the mixture into a greased, lined lamington tray (which is a square cake pan 27 x 20 cm)
Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes, until springy to touch.
DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR or make loud noises (hmmm, maybe that was just Gran's notes) or the sponge will drop.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
The icing:
200 g icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Boiling water
Dessicated coconut
Combine icing sugar, cocoa and butter together with a* little* boiling water to make mixture runny. If it starts to firm, then place the bowl ontop of another bowl with boiling water to keep icing mixture liquid.
The next bit is a two-person job. You need one dunker and one roller, otherwise you get coconut in the runny icing and it all leads to tears.....
Cut cake into 5 centimetre squares, coat with icing mixture.
Immediately roll in coconut, coating evenly. Sit on waxed paper to dry.
Serve on large platters on paper doilies.
| | | | Lemon Chicken by Alyssa May 3, 2009 | | So awesome! Lemon chicken, rice, corn on the cob. Gotta love it! | | | | Chicken Wreath by Heather May 3, 2009 | This is a Pampered Chef recipe, one I usually reserve for get-togethers, as it presents nicely, serves easily, and is quick and easy to assemble. You can fill it with anything (even fresh fruit, sprinkle it with with cinnamon sugar, and you've got a dessert!), but I threw together what I was in the mood for: grilled chicken, cooked chopped bacon, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, shredded colby jack cheese, and a couple of tbsp each mayo and dijon mustard to bind it all together.
Take 2 containers of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and lay the triangles in a circle, overlapping each other slightly (see pic) on a greased baking sheet. Spread your mixture onto the base of the triangles and then fold the tips in. Brush with a beaten egg and bake at 375* for 20-30 min.
Had it with a cup of minestrone for lunch, with a salad for dinner. | | | | not fajitas... by Lara May 3, 2009 | i have some marinating in the fridge for tonight as we had an impromptu trip to the outback for some nom nom nom.
iced tea, side salad, victoria filet (with mushroomy goodness) and a fully loaded baked pot... nummmmmmmmmmm. i also inhaled about half of a blooming onion. naughty. | | | | Baby's Casserole by Heather May 2, 2009 | We all kind of did our own thing today, meal-wise. The only thing I actually cooked was for the 8 month old. Hope I don't get flamed for posting this, and actually, I'm kinda hoping someone will ring in with some good ideas of new things I can make him. Baby food is rather bland, and he's a pretty adventuresome eater, a quality which I'm trying to take advantage of (I should mention that he's lactose intolerant).
Anyway, ingredients: bag of potatoes o'brien, frozen peas, frozen corn, diced summer sausage, can of cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheese, dash of pepper. Baked and then pureed. Didn't take a pic, as it was not at all attractive. He gave it 5 stars. | | | | California Stuffed Chard by Judy May 2, 2009 | Awesome meal! I was so pleased I could use so much of what I had growing in my garden for this dish (chard, oregano, thyme, parsely and lemon)
Got this recipe from the Renee's Garden website (www.reneesgarden.com), supplier of most of the seeds I planted in the garden.
Served it with white rice.
| | | | Crockpot Pork Carnitas by Becky May 2, 2009 | All this talk of swine flu has made me hungry for pork, and thankfully the media's fear-mongering has driven pork prices down. At my neighborhood supermarket this week, I was able to find a pork shoulder roast for merely 99¢ a pound.
After trimming off the fat and patting the meat dry with a paper towel, I rubbed it good with my own special blend of cumin, coriander, chipotle powder, garlic granules, mexican oregano, and salt, then browned it in a skillet with just a touch of oil and transferred it to the crockpot.
Meanwhile, I deglazed the pan with the flat remainder of a beer hanging around in the fridge and poured that into the pot. Added some sliced onion, a few dried chilies, and the bottom half of a bunch of cilantro, and set it on low.
Several hours later... tacos! | | | | Pizza and Tortellini by Lara May 1, 2009 | Trader Joe's to the rescue!
their marinara and tortellini... had a cheapie cheese pizza to use up, so i threw some sliced zucchini with a drizz of olive oil and garlic seasonings.
side salad with FAB thai seasame lime dressing! so yum! http://www.chefdrew.com/Pages/products/dressings/dressings.html | | |
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