I am now really looking forward to Rachael Ray's new cookbook. The title escapes me right now, but I'll probably remember in the morning while I am watching her show and nursing. The other day, my daughter (age 2) and I were watching her show (since Rachael makes yummies, as the little woman puts it) when Rachael made chicken with apples and pears. Now the Little Woman has taken quite the liking to all three of these things, the fruit only because her baby brother gets it in Gerber form, so she had to try the big girl version. So I knew I had to make this for her. Tonight, she was a very happy princess. This recipe seriously rocks! It's going into the regular rotation.
One slight variation I did was in the mashed potatoes. I used shredded cheddar cheese instead of the camembert cheese. I didn't think that the kids would eat such an exotic sounding cheese. I knew I couldn't go wrong with cheddar though. I also skipped the lemon zest, chives, and thyme at the end. I also sliced the fruit without peeling. No time wasted on peeling and dicing. We were hungry and ready to chow down!
When selecting your skillet to cook the chicken and fruit in, plan carefully. Once you put the chicken in, you don't want to move it until it's time to flip after it's nice and pretty. I used a 12 inch skillet, I think. It might be even bigger. Either way, plenty of room.
So, here is Rachael Ray's chicken with apples and pears.
2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
Salt
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Black pepper
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 Gala, Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut
into 1/2-inch dice
1 Bosc pear, peeled, cored and diced
Freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 pound ripe Camembert cheese, diced into bite-sized pieces
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk, half-and-half or cream
10 to 12 blades chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
Yields: Serves 4
Preparation
Halve the small and quarter the larger potatoes into bite-sized pieces and cover with water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil and season with salt. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the potatoes are forktender.
Heat the EVOO in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and cook until golden and firm, about 12 minutes, turning once. Place the chicken on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples and pears, and season with salt and the nutmeg. Stir in the lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender-crisp, then stir in the honey and cook for minute more.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Mash them with the cheese and milk or half-and half and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the potatoes among 4 plates. Slice the chicken breasts on an angle. Arrange the sliced chicken alongside the potatoes and top with the apples and pears. Combine the chives with the thyme and lemon zest and scatter over each plate.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Beat the Hell Outta Arkansas!
Well, we tried at least. Since the Arkansas mascot is a pig, we made a day of it. Sausage biscuits for breakfast (call it semihomemade McDonald's), BBQ pork from the crockpot for lunch, and jambalaya w/ sausage and ham for dinner. It really can't get much better. Now if only the game had gone this well.
The sausage biscuits were easy. Open a package of precooked sausage patties and heat after baking up a can of biscuits. Real hard there.
I wish my nose had been working all night and morning. It probably really smelled good in here with the BBQ pork in the crock pot. This one was equally as easy. My sweet hubby started it for me while I dealt with a sinus headache (and resulting drainage once I relieved the pressure)...stupid allergies. Throw a 3-4 lb. boneless pork roast (Boston Butt) into the crockpot. Pour a 18 oz. bottle of the barbecue sauce of your choice and 12 oz. of coke (from a can or 2 liter) over it, and cook on low 8-10 hours. Shred meat and toss back into degreased sauce. Our roast ended up being 5 1/2 lbs. Sweet hubby also started it on high. Oops. No biggie though, since I turned it down when I got up and turned it off a little earlier than I would have otherwise. By about noon, the meat was falling apart. It only took stirring it with a fork to shred it! The biggest problem I had was degreasing the sauce without just throwing the whole thing into the fridge overnight. Even with my nice degreasing pitcher, I still ended up with a lot of fat to skim off once it's solidified tomorrow. This was out of the current issue of Southern Living. They suggested serving w/ buns and slaw, over cornbread, or over cheese grits.
The jambalaya took the most effort, but is still easy. It's out of my 2004 Southern Living Annual Recipes, p. 289. Should you choose to kick up the heat (which I usually did until I had the princess), add in your choice of tobasco, crushed red pepper, or cayenne pepper just before the beef broth.
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced 1/4 in. thick on the diagonal
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
garlic to taste, chopped
2 c. beef stock (or 1 can and 2 oz. water)
1 c. rice
chopped ham or chicken
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
Brown sausage over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add in onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft. Add in garlic, stirring until fragrant. Add in beef stock. Once boiling, stir in 1 c. uncooked rice. Reduce and simmer 20 min. or until rice is done. Stir in ham and tomatoes, and heat through. Serve with potato salad and french bread.
The sausage biscuits were easy. Open a package of precooked sausage patties and heat after baking up a can of biscuits. Real hard there.
I wish my nose had been working all night and morning. It probably really smelled good in here with the BBQ pork in the crock pot. This one was equally as easy. My sweet hubby started it for me while I dealt with a sinus headache (and resulting drainage once I relieved the pressure)...stupid allergies. Throw a 3-4 lb. boneless pork roast (Boston Butt) into the crockpot. Pour a 18 oz. bottle of the barbecue sauce of your choice and 12 oz. of coke (from a can or 2 liter) over it, and cook on low 8-10 hours. Shred meat and toss back into degreased sauce. Our roast ended up being 5 1/2 lbs. Sweet hubby also started it on high. Oops. No biggie though, since I turned it down when I got up and turned it off a little earlier than I would have otherwise. By about noon, the meat was falling apart. It only took stirring it with a fork to shred it! The biggest problem I had was degreasing the sauce without just throwing the whole thing into the fridge overnight. Even with my nice degreasing pitcher, I still ended up with a lot of fat to skim off once it's solidified tomorrow. This was out of the current issue of Southern Living. They suggested serving w/ buns and slaw, over cornbread, or over cheese grits.
The jambalaya took the most effort, but is still easy. It's out of my 2004 Southern Living Annual Recipes, p. 289. Should you choose to kick up the heat (which I usually did until I had the princess), add in your choice of tobasco, crushed red pepper, or cayenne pepper just before the beef broth.
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced 1/4 in. thick on the diagonal
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
garlic to taste, chopped
2 c. beef stock (or 1 can and 2 oz. water)
1 c. rice
chopped ham or chicken
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
Brown sausage over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add in onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft. Add in garlic, stirring until fragrant. Add in beef stock. Once boiling, stir in 1 c. uncooked rice. Reduce and simmer 20 min. or until rice is done. Stir in ham and tomatoes, and heat through. Serve with potato salad and french bread.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Chocolate PB Bread
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. (Where have we '80's children heard that before?) Chocolate is a food group. This time, it works out to our advantage. Now, some really mean moms would insist that since this bread is basically a Reese's PB Cup, then it falls under dessert. Not me. Flavored breads are for breakfast! If we really must rationalize it, chocolate comes from cocoa beans, so that makes it a vegetable. There. We're now eating a veggie.
So, here we go! Happy baking!
Chocolate PB Bread (from the Hershey cookbook)
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. Hershey's cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1 c. Reese's PB Chips
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs in large bowl. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in PB chips. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan; bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack. Serve with cream cheese or butter if desired.
So, here we go! Happy baking!
Chocolate PB Bread (from the Hershey cookbook)
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. Hershey's cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1 c. Reese's PB Chips
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs in large bowl. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in PB chips. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan; bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack. Serve with cream cheese or butter if desired.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Chicken Spaghetti
Howdy everyone!
Tonight I made chicken spaghetti. This one was soooo easy, and yummy! The big kids could have done it without help. It was that easy. It was also yummy, and made 2 casseroles. One for tonight, one for the freezer. Those are the best recipes. One casserole serves 4 (unless one of them is my hubby, in which case it's 2 or 3). It was fine because it was just him, me, and the princess eating at home. The big kids ate at their papa's house around the corner after a trip to Walmart.
When preparing the pan for the casserole for the freezer, be sure to line the pan with foil (or get one of those disposable pans). The idea is that once the casserole is frozen, you can take it out of the pan, wrap well, and put back in the freezer. You know that it will fit in the pan to cook since it was frozen in there.
I checked the casserole 7 minutes into the 2nd bake and deemed it done.
Total prep time was however long it took the oven to heat up. That quick.
So...here's chicken spaghetti.
2 c. cooked chicken breast (I used what I had in the freezer, which included some dark meat)
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. sliced celery (1/4 in.)
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
7 oz. spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
1 c. chicken stock
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk stock, soup, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Combine with chicken, veggies, and spaghetti. Divide into 2 8x8 baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Top each with 1/2 c. cheese. Bake 35 minutes tightly covered. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
To bake a frozen casserole, bake 55 minutes covered, then uncovered for 10.
Tonight I made chicken spaghetti. This one was soooo easy, and yummy! The big kids could have done it without help. It was that easy. It was also yummy, and made 2 casseroles. One for tonight, one for the freezer. Those are the best recipes. One casserole serves 4 (unless one of them is my hubby, in which case it's 2 or 3). It was fine because it was just him, me, and the princess eating at home. The big kids ate at their papa's house around the corner after a trip to Walmart.
When preparing the pan for the casserole for the freezer, be sure to line the pan with foil (or get one of those disposable pans). The idea is that once the casserole is frozen, you can take it out of the pan, wrap well, and put back in the freezer. You know that it will fit in the pan to cook since it was frozen in there.
I checked the casserole 7 minutes into the 2nd bake and deemed it done.
Total prep time was however long it took the oven to heat up. That quick.
So...here's chicken spaghetti.
2 c. cooked chicken breast (I used what I had in the freezer, which included some dark meat)
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. sliced celery (1/4 in.)
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
7 oz. spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
1 c. chicken stock
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk stock, soup, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Combine with chicken, veggies, and spaghetti. Divide into 2 8x8 baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Top each with 1/2 c. cheese. Bake 35 minutes tightly covered. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
To bake a frozen casserole, bake 55 minutes covered, then uncovered for 10.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Chicken Pot Pie
Brace yourself. This is one of those recipes that is a royal pain in the you-know-what. Obviously short cuts can be taken, and some may choose to. That's up to you. About the only short cut is to use deli roasted chickens and buy 98 oz. of chicken stock. Personally, I prefer to cook my own chickens and get the yummy homemade stock. Especially since there will be a lot leftover to go into my freezer. Darn. I hate it when that happens!
Now, I said that this recipe is a pain. It really is because of all of the prep that goes into it, between cooking and deboning 4 chickens, straining and cooling the resulting stock, etc. I usually take several days to do this one with 2 chickens per day and on the third day, make the filling. I also have to have my husband borrow the huge stock pot from his lodge so that I have something big enough to mix everything in after the sauce is made. The sauce just barely fits in my dutch oven. Literally, there was less than 1/4 of inch left.
The four chickens used should give you a big hint. It's 8 chickens if you use the deli cooked ones. I can't explain the size difference. This recipe makes a ton of filling. Fifty servings (2/3 of a cup each) to be specific. Coincidentally, it also freezes well. I break one batch down into 10-5 serving pies. It works for my family, at least for now. Usually we eat one the day I make it (thus making it worth my time initially) and freeze the other nine in quart-sized freezer bags.
So.........
6 sticks butter
2 large onions, chopped
6 stalks celery, shopped
3 c. flour
12 1/4 c. chicken stock
5 c. milk
1 lb. sliced carrots
16 c. cooked chicken (4-8 chickens depending on size)
3 1/2 c. frozen peas
1-2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
A few dashes of hot sauce (optional, I leave it out for little ones)
pie crusts (make your own or buy)
Melt butter in huge pot (4-6 gallon) over medium heat. Saute onion and celery until soft. Add flour, stir until smooth, and cook 2 minutes (stirring constantly). Add in chicken stock and milk. Cook, stirring constantly until it boils, then 2 more minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients (through hot sauce).
I bake 3 1/3 cups at a time. Bake 1 immediately (roughly 30 minutes at 400) topped with 1 pie crust and cut slits for ventillation. To bake filling that has been frozen, thaw completely and stir. Then top with a pie crust, cut slits, and bake. It can also be baked in 2 huge commercial sized roasting pans, topped with 2 packages of pie crusts, slits cut.
Enjoy, and after this, take a night or 2 or 11 (as my batch turned out once bagged for the freezer) off.
As an added bonus, after I made the pot pie filling, I had an extra 29 cups of chicken stock. I bagged in 2 cup increments (obviously the extra cup was bagged by itself) for the freezer. Not bad for the cost of 4 whole chickens (roughly $5 each), veggies (1 1/2 lbs. carrots, 1 bag of onions, and 1 bunch of celery), and less than 1/2 gallon of milk. Oh, and a box of freezer bags.
Now, I said that this recipe is a pain. It really is because of all of the prep that goes into it, between cooking and deboning 4 chickens, straining and cooling the resulting stock, etc. I usually take several days to do this one with 2 chickens per day and on the third day, make the filling. I also have to have my husband borrow the huge stock pot from his lodge so that I have something big enough to mix everything in after the sauce is made. The sauce just barely fits in my dutch oven. Literally, there was less than 1/4 of inch left.
The four chickens used should give you a big hint. It's 8 chickens if you use the deli cooked ones. I can't explain the size difference. This recipe makes a ton of filling. Fifty servings (2/3 of a cup each) to be specific. Coincidentally, it also freezes well. I break one batch down into 10-5 serving pies. It works for my family, at least for now. Usually we eat one the day I make it (thus making it worth my time initially) and freeze the other nine in quart-sized freezer bags.
So.........
6 sticks butter
2 large onions, chopped
6 stalks celery, shopped
3 c. flour
12 1/4 c. chicken stock
5 c. milk
1 lb. sliced carrots
16 c. cooked chicken (4-8 chickens depending on size)
3 1/2 c. frozen peas
1-2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
A few dashes of hot sauce (optional, I leave it out for little ones)
pie crusts (make your own or buy)
Melt butter in huge pot (4-6 gallon) over medium heat. Saute onion and celery until soft. Add flour, stir until smooth, and cook 2 minutes (stirring constantly). Add in chicken stock and milk. Cook, stirring constantly until it boils, then 2 more minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients (through hot sauce).
I bake 3 1/3 cups at a time. Bake 1 immediately (roughly 30 minutes at 400) topped with 1 pie crust and cut slits for ventillation. To bake filling that has been frozen, thaw completely and stir. Then top with a pie crust, cut slits, and bake. It can also be baked in 2 huge commercial sized roasting pans, topped with 2 packages of pie crusts, slits cut.
Enjoy, and after this, take a night or 2 or 11 (as my batch turned out once bagged for the freezer) off.
As an added bonus, after I made the pot pie filling, I had an extra 29 cups of chicken stock. I bagged in 2 cup increments (obviously the extra cup was bagged by itself) for the freezer. Not bad for the cost of 4 whole chickens (roughly $5 each), veggies (1 1/2 lbs. carrots, 1 bag of onions, and 1 bunch of celery), and less than 1/2 gallon of milk. Oh, and a box of freezer bags.
Potato Soup Mix
I got this one from Mom. Thanks Dude! She sent it to me, thinking that it would be good for my oldest to put together before going on a Boy Scout campout, then just add the boiling water out there, and voila. Well, God works in mysterious ways. Turns out the same day I got this recipe, my dad ended up with an infection in one of his teeth (that ended up spreading some, we are pretty sure). By the end of Saturday, he couldn't chew at all. Enter potato soup. At least it gave him something decent to eat that my oldest could fix for him. Better for him than ice cream, jello, and pudding.
Best part about this recipe, other than the fact that it is incredibly easy to put together, is the fact that my kids will eat it, and have asked to have it around as a staple item. When my kids say that, I know I have seriously scored. Next best part is that I don't have to prepare the soup for them (beyond the mix). Even the 7 year old can boil a cup of water in the microwave.
So, here ya go! I give you Potato Soup Mix....
2 c. instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 c. instant powdered milk
2 Tbsp. instant chicken boullion
2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
Combine everything and store in either a 1 qt. jar or in individual snack sized zip lock bags. I did the ziplock. 1 serving is 1/2 c. mix.
To prepare soup: Add 1 c. boiling water to 1/2 c. soup mix. Stir until smooth. Add any desired toppings: bacon bits, cheese, chopped green onion, etc.
Best part about this recipe, other than the fact that it is incredibly easy to put together, is the fact that my kids will eat it, and have asked to have it around as a staple item. When my kids say that, I know I have seriously scored. Next best part is that I don't have to prepare the soup for them (beyond the mix). Even the 7 year old can boil a cup of water in the microwave.
So, here ya go! I give you Potato Soup Mix....
2 c. instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 c. instant powdered milk
2 Tbsp. instant chicken boullion
2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
Combine everything and store in either a 1 qt. jar or in individual snack sized zip lock bags. I did the ziplock. 1 serving is 1/2 c. mix.
To prepare soup: Add 1 c. boiling water to 1/2 c. soup mix. Stir until smooth. Add any desired toppings: bacon bits, cheese, chopped green onion, etc.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Pregnant Lady Cooking
First, NO I am not pregnant again. This is just a service to my friends and family who are expecting.
While I was pregnant with my 7 year old, I learned that it was a good idea to have meals prepared ahead of time. Unfortunately, this lesson was learned the hard way when I went on bed rest for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. Next time, I did my best to have plenty of meals in the freezer and it came in handy third trimester. I had my freezer full, as well as the one at the Masonic Lodge, where my hubby is a member. I didn't have my own deep freeze yet. When I was pregnant this last time, I got my deep freeze, and boy did it make my life easy. I cooked up a storm while I still felt decent, before the ligaments in my abdomen reminded me that they do not like to be stretched. I had enough food in that freezer that if I didn't want to cook during the 3rd trimester, I didn't have to. I also kept inventory in an Excel spreadsheet, just because I am that OCD.
I made soups, casseroles, dirty rice, jambalaya, spaghetti sauce, chicken pot pie filling, burrito meat, sloppy joes, and pretty much anything else that I could think of that would freeze. My favorites were the pot pie filling, burrito meat, and spaghetti sauce. Very little space used and a lot of food. A good bit of it was done just by doubling or tripling a recipe that I was making for dinner that night and freezing the leftovers. The burrito meat is a crockpot thing, so that was done just for the freezer.
The really nice part about doing all of this cooking ahead of time was that since I felt pretty decent through most of my 3rd trimester, I didn't have to cook when Zac was in and out of the hospital and I was sleep deprived. (Was sleep deprived? Heck, I still am!)
Several recipes have already been posted here. Now that the frozen breastmilk is gradually coming out of the deep freeze, I'm replacing it with meals for us to eat on activity nights. Those recipes will get posted as I get to them, or just ask for them.
While I was pregnant with my 7 year old, I learned that it was a good idea to have meals prepared ahead of time. Unfortunately, this lesson was learned the hard way when I went on bed rest for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. Next time, I did my best to have plenty of meals in the freezer and it came in handy third trimester. I had my freezer full, as well as the one at the Masonic Lodge, where my hubby is a member. I didn't have my own deep freeze yet. When I was pregnant this last time, I got my deep freeze, and boy did it make my life easy. I cooked up a storm while I still felt decent, before the ligaments in my abdomen reminded me that they do not like to be stretched. I had enough food in that freezer that if I didn't want to cook during the 3rd trimester, I didn't have to. I also kept inventory in an Excel spreadsheet, just because I am that OCD.
I made soups, casseroles, dirty rice, jambalaya, spaghetti sauce, chicken pot pie filling, burrito meat, sloppy joes, and pretty much anything else that I could think of that would freeze. My favorites were the pot pie filling, burrito meat, and spaghetti sauce. Very little space used and a lot of food. A good bit of it was done just by doubling or tripling a recipe that I was making for dinner that night and freezing the leftovers. The burrito meat is a crockpot thing, so that was done just for the freezer.
The really nice part about doing all of this cooking ahead of time was that since I felt pretty decent through most of my 3rd trimester, I didn't have to cook when Zac was in and out of the hospital and I was sleep deprived. (Was sleep deprived? Heck, I still am!)
Several recipes have already been posted here. Now that the frozen breastmilk is gradually coming out of the deep freeze, I'm replacing it with meals for us to eat on activity nights. Those recipes will get posted as I get to them, or just ask for them.
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