Mom's Fridge

Sweet Scones

2012-01-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

This is an adaptation of Granma's Irish Biscuits. The technique is the same, but I've made these a little sweeter with spice and richer due to the use of cream instead of milk.

SWEET SCONES

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick (1/4 lb. or 1/2 cup) butter or margarine, at room temperature (not melted)
raisins, to taste (about 1/2 cup is good)
1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream*
1 tsp baking spice mix**

Mix all ingredients. Batter shouldn't stick to fingers (add more flour if necessary).
Drop about 1/2-cup size balls onto floured cookie sheet, or pat into a rectangle on a floured surface, then cut into triangles. Makes about 8 round biscuits or a baker's dozen triangles, depending on how large you cut them.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350.

*The quantity of cream is variable. Granma never used a measuring cup. If you accidentally put in too much liquid, just add a little more flour. This is a "go by the feel of it" kind of recipe.

**The Baking Spice is a mix that I got at Penzeys. It contains cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, mace and anise. Use a teaspoon (total) of any combination of these that you might have, and you may substitute nutmeg for mace.

Chicken Lo Mein

2012-01-12T19:48:00.000-05:00

It's not that I can never leave a recipe alone. Well, I usually can't. But this time I changed up a recipe because I didn't have the fresh ingredients in the house to make it the way it was originally written. I found this recipe for Jamie's Chicken Chow Mein at Barbara's, and since I'm a big fan of lo mein, I wanted to give this one a try. The sauce is different from the lo mein I usually make. This had a much lighter flavor, with a little more kick from the spice.

Chicken Lo Mein
serves 4

1/2 pound linguine or whole-wheat linguine, cooked to package directions (this is a great way to use up leftover spaghetti or linguine as well!)
olive oil for the pan
1 small (or 1/2 medium) onion, chopped
1 TBL minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch of crushed red pepper
10 baby carrots, thinly sliced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in thin strips
1/2 bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 TBL cornstarch, dissolved in 2 TBL cold water
1/4 cup soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lime

While pasta is cooking, saute onion, garlic and ginger in oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan. After onions soften, add red pepper, carrots and chicken. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked through. Stir in spinach, then the cornstarch, soy sauce and lime juice. When sauce thickens, fold in the pasta and toss to coat.

Roll With It

2012-01-09T17:55:00.000-05:00

There were going to be breadsticks tonight along with our Italian Veal Stew. That was the plan, anyway, until I woke up this morning and discovered that while I was sleeping, some demolition had taken place in the powder room. A pipe in the bathroom above that one had leaked, and the ceiling started to cave in late last night. My husband and older son removed the damaged section of the ceiling and I called a plumber this morning to take care of the pipe.

I found this note on the bathroom door at 5:45 this morning.

And then...yeah...

So the bread didn't happen because by the time the plumber finished it was 1:30 and I had a huge mess to clean up. At that point, bread wasn't even on my radar screen.

Except for the hole in the ceiling, the bathroom is now spotless.

It's all good until the plumber's bill gets here.

In the meantime, I've got the rest of the dinner cooking and we'll just live without the bread. (Still hungry? Have some raw baby carrots.) And when we're done eating, it'll be time to deliver a plate to Middle Sister, who's started work with the stage crew on her high school's spring musical production.

Yes, I deliver a plate of dinner to her at school. She's been there since 7:50 this morning, gone through a full school day and a track practice, and then moved on to stage crew. When she gets home, there's homework to do.

Besides, she asked me to.

It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned. I don't have to shell out $5 or more per day to keep her in fast food. She's not eating fast food. (That's reason enough right there.) School is only a mile away, so a 15-minute round trip is worth the time and gas to give her a good meal.

And she asked. Believe me when I tell you that I don't take that lightly. That request says a few things to me: she likes "home food" better than fast food, she doesn't want to waste money on junk food, and she still needs me. She's 16. She's not going to need me for too many things too much longer.

So for the next couple of months, I will, whenever possible, deliver Meals on Wheels to my daughter at school. That's how I roll.

It's much more fun than cleaning up a destroyed bathroom. I only wish I had some breadsticks to put with her dinner.

What's for Dinner? January 2012

2012-01-08T18:41:00.000-05:00

My New Year's Cooking Resolution is to better incorporate fresh vegetables into our meals. I have a new Pampered Chef steamer which I plan to use for broccoli, green beans and other vegetables. Microwavable "steam fresh" veggies are great and I will be using those on crazy days, but I'd like us to eat more fresh food when we can.

January's meal-planning challenge around here is the theatre. Little Brother's acting in a play that opens the last weekend of this month, so there's a full week of every-night rehearsals, plus Sunday-afternoon rehearsals, to work around. In addition, there are Middle Sister's track meets, and one week left of feeding Big Brother well so that the dorm food is extra-yucky by comparison (hey, a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do.)

I didn't plan meals for next weekend, which is our wedding anniversary and Big Brother's birthday. Otherwise, this plan was based on the reality that is our schedule for this month.

Sunday 1: Gumbo and biscuits (the gumbo was delicious but never thickened up...the next day I cooked it 2 more hours with some pearl barley and wound up with fantastic chicken-barley soup)

Monday 2: Spaghetti, Olive-Garden breadsticks

Tuesday 3: Homemade Chipotle with crockpot chipotle beef

Wednesday 4: Beef paysanne with noodles

Thursday 5: Rosemary-balsamic chicken

Friday 6: sick day

Saturday 7: Pizza at Grandma's

Sunday 8: Cilantro-Lime chicken drumsticks, rice, green beans

Monday 9: Italian veal stew with penne and breadsticks

Tuesday 10: Enchiladas, hash-brown casserole

Wednesday 11: Spaghetti (time to make a big new batch!)

Thursday 12: Pho and vegetable dumplings (I have to search for a recipe for the Pho, and the dumplings are frozen)

Friday 13: Happy Anniversary to us! (We'd better not be eating at home!) Takeout for the kids.

Saturday 14: Big Brother's birthday is tomorrow but we'll probably celebrate as a family tonight. He gets to pick what he wants.

Sunday 15: dinner for 3, working around a late-afternoon rehearsal. I think it might be a good night for French toast.

Monday 16: Chicken piccata bites, rice

Tuesday 17: Tacos

Wednesday 18: Spaghetti

Thursday 19: Asian chicken wraps

Friday 20: Sweet & spicy tilapia

Saturday 21: Hawaiian chicken

Sunday 22: Tech rehearsal all afternoon/evening; it's Fend For Yourself day

Monday 23: Chicken pot pie over biscuits

Tuesday 24: Southwest chili mac with chicken, corn muffins

Wednesday 25: Spaghetti

Thursday 26: Spicy orange chicken, rice

Friday 27: French bread pizza, salad

Saturday 28: Copycat Alice Springs Chicken

Sunday 29: Crockpot BBQ chicken (perfect for an after-matinee dinner!)

Monday 30: Balsamic chicken with thyme

Tuesday 31: Fajitas

Balsamic-Rosemary Chicken

2012-01-05T18:31:00.000-05:00

This is a very simple way to serve boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It's a snap to adapt this recipe to any amount of servings, and since it requires only about 30 minutes (including marinating) this is an easy weeknight recipe. Even a beginner cook won't have a problem making this one.

I got this recipe from Barbara at Bless Us, O Lord; she adapted it from a Rachael Ray recipe. It's delicious eaten "as is" or sliced and served over a green salad. I imagine it would also be delicious cold, over salad (but there's no leftovers, so I can't be sure!)

Here's the recipe as I made it:

Balsamic-Rosemary Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 TBL balsamic vinegar
2 TBL extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Place chicken breasts in a single layer in a glass dish to marinate (a pie pan works well). Pour balsamic vinegar over chicken, then olive oil. Flip each piece of chicken a couple of times to coat. Sprinkle seasonings over chicken and marinate 10 minutes.
Heat a large skillet and add chicken (no need to add additional oil for the pan). Cook until nicely browned on both sides and heated through. Check for doneness at the thickest part of the chicken.

I'm adding a new label: College. My older son, a college student, plans to live in a campus apartment next year and has told me that he'll be using this blog as his main cooking resource. This label will make it easy for him to find dishes he can make easily. I'm just glad he doesn't plan to subsist totally on Ramen noodles and Lucky Charms.

Frugal Gumbo for the First of the Year

2012-01-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

Soup recipes can be forgiving in more ways than one. When it's 2:30 PM and you just find out now that your afternoon and evening plans are cancelled, soup is a go-to dinner idea. And when you discover that some of the raw vegetables you had prepared for a holiday platter have accidentally gotten too close to the cold spot in the fridge and become frozen vegetables, you can still use them for soup. I freeze the chicken carcass after we've had a roast chicken for dinner so I can make soup later.

I'm making up a gumbo recipe as I go along. To borrow a line from Pippin, it has "a little of this, a little of that, a whole lot of that..." So that I don't forget, I'm writing down the instructions as I go. This will be chicken-only gumbo since my husband cannot eat shellfish or pork. I know that's not authentic, but it's healthier for him this way.

Spice Run & a Resolution

2011-12-31T08:32:00.000-05:00

We had a whirlwind trip to Pittsburgh this week--and I was able to squeeze in a pilgrimage to Penzeys Spices, only 5 blocks from our hotel. What a great store! I loved that it was just a spice store. Except for spices and cookbooks, there was nothing else around. No pots, pans, grill tools, freshly-ground coffee, oven mitts, or other stuff. I like all that other stuff, but it was very refreshing to be in a single-purpose shop.

I found the selection to be amazing and the prices very reasonable. And what a cute shop! Look at all the cool stuff I got!

I found 2 "kits" that were a good value. One contained bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and 2 whole nutmegs. That's the bag in the upper left. The other kit had 4 small jars of ginger, ground nutmeg and 2 kinds of cinnamon.

In addition to those, I bought a tube with 3 vanilla beans, one more kind of cinnamon (there are 4, plus a blend, to choose from!), extra ginger (we go through a lot of ginger here), charnushka seeds (for rye bread), lemongrass, gumbo file, Dutch-process cocoa, chipotle powder and a jar of "baking spice" that was a total impulse and tastes great in coffee.

Penzeys has a store in Philadelphia, and I'm already starting a list for my next field trip!

My New Year's Resolution for the kitchen, now, is to rearrange my cabinets to make room for these new spices. That'll have to wait until everyone's back to work and school, because I'm going to have to pull everything out.

Creamy Mac & Cheese

2011-12-30T18:45:00.001-05:00

When is a mistake not a mistake? When it turns out that you like the finished product better than it would have been otherwise. That's what happened with tonight's mac-n-cheese.

I've got this recipe for homemade mac-n-cheese that my older kids really love. It's easy, and pantry-friendly, and that's what I needed tonight. And that's the recipe I thought I had turned to in my recipe binder that's in the kitchen.

But no...I'd mistakenly turned to another one. I didn't realize it until the white sauce was well underway.

We liked this version even better! So here we go:

Creamy Mac & Cheese

Print Recipe

3/4 pound small shell pasta, cooked al dente and drained
3 TBL butter
3 TBL flour
2 cups milk
pinch of nutmeg
freshly ground pepper (I used a pepper blend with cayenne and black pepper)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups finely-shredded cheese (Cheddar-Jack is good)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
panko for topping

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in flour until mixture is thick and golden. Whisk in milk and seasonings slowly and continue to stir until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in cheese. After cheese melts, fold in the soup. Mix in the pasta, then pour into an oiled 9X13 casserole dish. Sprinkle panko over the top. Bake 20 minutes at 375, uncovered.

Kitchen Wishin'

2011-12-18T09:49:00.000-05:00

I'm one of those people who would be perfectly happy to get a whole bunch of kitchen stuff for Christmas.

Now, a vacuum cleaner would be another story, but I love to cook and bake, so cooking gifts are great for me.

I saw this awesome measuring cup/digital scale over at TidyMom. Great for those international recipes!

Here's a multipurpose cast-iron Dutch Oven with skillet cover! How cool is that? One pan (plus lid) does the work of two.

Since I actually managed NOT to kill my herb garden this year (and had a bumper crop of cilantro), this Microplane Herb Mill would help me make use of all the herbs I froze for use this winter.

And, yeah, 'cause I definitely have my "geek moments," the cookbook I'm wishing for this year is Cooking for Geeks. It promises to satisfy my curiosity about what makes recipes work--and NOT work!

What's on YOUR kitchen wish list?

Honey Butter Dinner Rolls (Bread Machine)

2011-12-06T18:38:00.002-05:00

I wasn't even planning to bake yesterday, let alone bake bread, let alone try a new recipe, but when I looked over the Secret Recipe Club reveal, I found these Honey Yeast Rolls over at The Pajama Chef. Then I realized that if I got started right now, we could be enjoying those rolls with dinner.

Of course, I changed things up a bit. First, I made the dough in the bread machine. The other change I made had to do with Sarah's comment that the rolls were "dense" in texture. She got 12 rolls out of a recipe that contains 4 cups of flour. That didn't seem like much, and I wondered if adding some vital gluten to the dough would help things along.

I'm pretty sure the gluten was the key here; the dough was beautifully elastic and they baked up nice and airy. I wound up with 2 dozen small rolls, but dinner rolls ARE supposed to be small. With the honey butter on top, they are deliciously sweet.

Here's the recipe as I made it:

Honey Butter Dinner Rolls
Print This Recipe

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup honey
3 TBL vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 tsp salt
4 cups bread flour
2 TBL vital gluten
1 scant TBL active dry yeast
olive oil for the bread pan
1 TBL melted butter
1 TBL honey

Add first 8 ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Use the dough cycle.
When dough is finished, remove to a floured surface. Knead lightly, then cover with a tea towel and allow to rest about 10 minutes.
Brush a 9X13 baking pan with olive oil, making sure to oil the sides as well. Divide the dough in half, and keep dividing each piece in half until you have about 2 dozen rolls. You can shape into balls or leave them square/rectangular. Place in the prepared pan. Cover with the tea towel and allow to rise for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine melted butter and honey and brush over the rolls.
Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. If your rolls are tightly packed in the pan, bake a bit longer.

A certain child who lives in this house has declared these the "best rolls ever!"

Secret Recipe Club: Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2011-12-05T11:00:00.052-05:00

It's a great time of year for apples, and baking anything with apples and cinnamon makes the house smell so good! Naturally, though, when you get a bag of apples, there are always a few in there that have a bruise or imperfection and the kids don't want to eat them out of hand. Those are great for cooking, though, as you can trim around those spots. I bought way too many apples to make a Thanksgiving pie, so I used up two nice big Rome apples in this recipe for Apple Cinnamon Muffins, which I found over at No Reason Needed. This is my Secret Recipe Club pick for December.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups chopped, peeled tart apples (I used 2 Rome apples)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Demerara sugar for sprinkling

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Mix beaten egg, orange juice and melted butter, then stir into the dry ingredients until just moistened. This will be a VERY thick batter.

Fold in apples and walnuts. Fill paper-lined muffin cups (I used an ice-cream scoop since the dough was so thick).

Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake at 350 until muffins test done; begin checking after 20 minutes. It took mine 28 minutes to finish--think I might have overdone it on the apples a bit--the ones I used were REALLY big.

THINGS I CHANGED: I doubled the cinnamon from the original recipe, added nutmeg, added the walnuts and topped the muffins with Demerara sugar for a little extra crunch.

COOK'S NOTE: I was glad to read the note on the blog post (separate from the printable recipe) that said "don't let the lack of liquid ingredients scare you!" I was SURE I would need more liquid, but these muffins turned out very moist--fiddling with that would have been a disaster.

SURVEY SAYS: These muffins were moist and tasty, full of nice big chunks of apples! They're great for breakfast or anytime.

I love how the recipes as this blog are all shown in printable format. No Reason Needed is a family blog and recipe blog all rolled into one. Recipes are uncomplicated and family-friendly!

Organizing the Shopping List

2011-12-01T16:20:00.000-05:00

There's something to be said for good old pencil and paper sometimes. Sure, I've got tech gadgets--and there's an app for just about everything these days. But my best planning (and meal-planning) tools are my planner, a spiral notebook, a binder clip and a pencil.

I get the planner through Family-Centered Press, and it's got space for everything. Monthly grid, plenty of weekly space, and even menu or lesson-planning pages (I use the lesson pages for lists and reminders).

I get the spiral notebook at the supermarket during the back-to-school notebook sale. I haven't had to pay more than 15 cents for a spiral notebook in years. And I get about a year out of a notebook--doesn't get any more frugal than that!

Last week while I sat at the rehearsal for the play Little Brother is in, I was busy with my calendar, planning out dinner ideas for December. I needed to work around his rehearsal schedule, his sister's schedule for a different play, Cub Scouts and a couple of church events. I needed to include meals that were easy to make, and I wanted to make some favorite dinners for Big Brother when he gets home from college in 2 weeks.

So I sat there with my pencil and planner and figured all this out. And today when I went to the grocery store with my notebook, I wished I'd had that planner with me so I could look for deals on things I'll need to make those meals for the month ahead.

While I stood on the checkout line--of course, the slowest line ever--I figured out a way to bring the menu plan along even if I'd left the planner at home.

I printed out the monthly menu calendar at Canny Women and trimmed it to fit the inside cover of my notebook, then just taped it in. After that, I penciled in all the dinner choices and even started listing groceries I know I'll need to make those meals--though I've got most of it already in the freezer and pantry.

There's a reason for the pencil--it's erasable! That's important when things suddenly come up and get in the way of the plan.

I can't forget to bring my menu plan to the store if my shopping list is written in the same notebook.

Baked Carrots

2011-11-30T18:40:00.000-05:00

If you're using the oven to cook your main dish, why not add this vegetable dish alongside it? It takes just a minute to put together, with only 4 ingredients! Toss in a couple of baked potatoes and the whole dinner can cook at the same time--that's my kind of meal. These carrots cook up nice and sweet, with just a little spice from the mustard.

BAKED CARROTS

1 1/2 cups peeled baby carrots (or regular carrots, peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths and no more than 1/2 inch wide)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 TBL brown sugar

Spread baby carrots into a casserole dish in a single layer. Combine orange juice and mustard powder. Pour over carrots. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until carrots are done.

Granma's Rolls: A Tutorial

2011-11-26T10:07:00.001-05:00

My paternal grandmother was famous for her home-baked rolls. Despite arthritis in her hands, she would bake huge batches of these for special occasions. Granma did the whole thing by hand--no stand mixer for her! (For that matter, I don't think she owned measuring cups or spoons, either.) My cousins and I all try to duplicate these rolls; this is as close as I can manage to get. Here's how to make a batch of approximately 30 rolls.

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups milk
1 TBL vegetable shortening
2 TBL sugar
1 TBL yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the milk, shortening and sugar. Make sure you do not bring it to a boil; just heat it enough to melt the shortening. Then allow it to cool until you can put your finger into the mixture and it doesn't feel too hot. (You want this to be "baby-bottle warm.")

Pour it into the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir. Then wait.

Here's how it looks after about 1 minute. You will see the mixture starting to bubble up. (That's a good thing! Lots of bubbles means the yeast is doing its work.)

After 3 to 5 minutes it will be nice and bubbly and look like this. Plenty of bubble action: this is good to go!

Begin to add flour, 1/2 cup at a time. After adding about a cup of flour, add the salt. You can mix the salt in with some of the flour if you like. Mix on low speed.

After about 3 cups of flour are added, add the rest very gradually.

You want the dough ball to climb the hook and begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn't yet do this, slowly add more flour.

Not yet.

Getting close! Be very careful adding flour now, because there is a fine line between "enough flour" and "a little too much" and once you cross it, there's no going back.

This is how you want it to look!

Brush a large bowl with some vegetable oil.

Place the dough in the bowl, then flip the dough over with your hands so the top of the dough ball is oiled as well.

Cover with a tea towel and let it rise about 1 hour.

Here's the dough after rising.

Nice and puffy!

Flour your work surface. I have a dollar-store sugar shaker that I keep full of all-purpose flour, just for this. Also sprinkle flour on your baking pans. For this recipe, you'll need 2 cookie sheets.

Now for the fun part. Make a fist and give the dough a good punch.

Dump the dough onto your floured surface. Knead by folding the dough over and then pushing on it with the heel of your hand. Then turn it 1/4 turn and repeat.

Shape the dough into a long log...

and divide in half.
A bench scraper is really useful for this, but you can use a pancake spatula to do the job.

Then start dividing the dough into smaller sections.

Roll each section into a thin strip about 6 inches long.

Then twist it into a knot.

That's all there is to it!

Ready for my close-up!

Line them up on a floured baking sheet (about 20 rolls will fit on a baking sheet.)

When the pan is full, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise about another hour. A little more won't matter; you have about 20 minutes leeway here.

Here's what they look like after rising.

Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. You do not want the rolls to turn golden brown on top. They will puff up more while you bake them, as you can see from this picture.

These rolls don't keep, so they need to be made the day you intend to use them.

Enjoy!

Caramel Filled Snickerdoodles

2011-11-25T14:30:00.001-05:00

Finally got around to trying the Caramel-Filled Snickerdoodle recipe I found over at The Baker Chick! Oh, these are good. Better than good, in fact. They are an absolutely decadent treat.

They're a pretty big cookie, and I have the feeling that I made them even bigger than I was supposed to, because I only got 40 cookies out of a batch that should have made 4 dozen.

Here's how to make them:

Caramel Filled Snickerdoodles
Print Recipe
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cinnamon-sugar mix
caramels, unwrapped

Cream together butter, shortening and sugar with a stand mixer. Add eggs. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda & salt together in another bowl and add to butter mixture. Mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.

Pinch off pieces of dough about 1 TBL in size. Flatten 2 pieces and top one with a caramel. Then squeeze the 2 pieces together until the caramel is completely covered. Shape into a ball.

Dip into the cinnamon-sugar and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat.

Space cookies apart on cookie sheet to allow for spreading as the cookies bake.

Bake in preheated 400-degree oven. After 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet to allow for even baking. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Here's what they look like after baking:

Enjoy!

Home Cooking Beats the Dining Halls

2011-11-22T12:48:00.001-05:00

Guess who's signing up for Cooking Lessons with Mom this summer? My very own college student, who has announced that next year he intends to abandon dorm life for an on-campus apartment. (Given the neighborhood in which he attends school, an off-campus apartment complete with slumlord is the other option, and my husband and I won't hear of that possibility.)

He pretty much admitted that he knew I'd keep him in spaghetti sauce with meatballs. Now I know what to do with all those containers that seem to multiply in the cabinets when I'm not looking!

I know that he can make a mean Pork Roll and Egg sandwich, not to mention French Toast. He's got Breakfast For Dinner covered.

And I think this is going to be a time when I really start figuring out how to turn some of his favorite meals into easy-to-make "dinner kits" that can be kept in the freezer. I've done this already with Beef & Noodle Skillet Dinner. There's no reason Beef Paysanne couldn't be made the same way.

Meanwhile, I'm looking for deals on a rice cooker and some other essentials. Got any suggestions for things I should add to his "Kitchen Essentials" box?

The only drawback here is that if I teach him how to make all his favorite foods, he'll visit even less often than he does now. Hmmm...I'll have to make sure to ration out that spaghetti sauce. He'll run out eventually, and he knows better than to buy Ragu.

Healthy Wheat Bread (for Beginners)

2011-11-20T19:29:00.001-05:00

This is an original recipe. The challenge: to make a healthy bread without too much added sugar. This bread can be made on the dough cycle in a bread machine (just add ingredients in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Often, it's liquid first, then dry, with yeast on top.) Directions below are for hand mixing or mixing with a stand mixer using a dough hook. Baking directions will be the same regardless of whether the dough is hand mixed, done in a mixer or in a bread machine.

Makes 2 loaves. I have not yet worked this recipe out for a single loaf. Just cutting each ingredient in half doesn't always work.

HEALTHY WHEAT BREAD
Print This Recipe

1 1/2 cup warm water, divided
2 TBL honey (or molasses)
1 TBL active dry yeast
3 TBL butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 TBL vital gluten
1 TBL sugar
1 TBL cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup bread flour

First, make sure the water is nice and warm. Not too hot, not too cold, or you will murder the yeast. Measure 1/2 cup water into your mixing bowl. Add the yeast and honey, give it a quick stir, and walk away for about 5 minutes. When you come back, it should be foamy and bubbly on top. (If not, your yeast is dead which means it was no good to start with or the water temperature was not right.)

Add butter and remaining warm water. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together, except for the bread flour. A quick spin with a chopstick will do it. It does not have to be perfectly mixed. Add this mixture to your mixing bowl and start the mixer on a very low speed. If hand mixing, use a very sturdy wooden spoon. Very slowly, a little at a time, add in the bread flour. As the dough takes in the flour, it will start to "climb" up the dough hook and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

You might need to add a little extra flour, but try not to go too much above 1 3/4 cup unless it's super-humid that day (humidity in the air definitely affects bread dough!)

Shake a little more flour onto your table or counter and dump the dough out of the mixing bowl. Knead it on the table for about 5 minutes. Again, try not to add in too much flour. To knead, push most of the dough away from you, then fold it over on itself, turn 90 degrees, and repeat. Ultimately you want the dough to feel just a little less sticky than the glue on a post-it note. It's not going to be super-smooth because of the oatmeal and flaxseed, but it shouldn't stick all over your hands and should have some spring to it.

Now take a clean mixing bowl and oil the inside of it. Put the dough into the bowl. It will need to rise for 1 hour. You can set the bowl, uncovered, in your microwave without turning it on, or you can cover it with a tea towel and set it somewhere there is no draft.

After about an hour (a little more time won't matter--you have about 15 minutes leeway here, but don't go under an hour) you will notice that the dough is larger in size. It probably will not double in size since whole wheat bread doesn't rise as high as bread made with only white flour. This is the fun part. Take that bowl of risen dough and punch your fist right into it. It will deflate! Sprinkle a little extra oatmeal on the table. Dump the dough back on your table and knead it about 1 more minute. Then divide it in half. Pat each piece until it's about 3/4 inch thick and then roll it up like a jelly roll.

Oil two bread pans (or use baking spray). Place each shaped loaf into a pan. Then give it another hour to rise, using the same method you used before. Again, an extra 15 minutes won't matter. After rising, it should at least be over the tops of the pans.

Preheat the oven to 350, then bake the bread for about 35 minutes. When the bread is done, cool it on a rack (preferably out of the pan). Don't slice it until it's completely cool.

All-in-together Dinner

2011-11-14T17:28:00.001-05:00

I love to cook. It's the cleaning up afterward that gets to me. And when you've got somewhere to go after dinner, the last thing you want when you get home is a pile of dirty pots and pans waiting for your attention. With a little planning ahead, you can get a dinner together that not only requires little cleanup, but all cooks in the oven at the same temperature.

Last week I made Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs, Roasted Potatoes, and Colie's Roasted Carrots recipe. I lined all my pans with foil so I wouldn't have messy dishes to wash later. Here's the BEFORE:

And AFTER:

Tonight I've got Tandoori Chicken, Roasted Old Bay Potatoes and those delicious Roasted Carrots again! (I did find that the roasted carrots, if you're using baby carrots, take longer than the 20 minutes listed in the recipe. I'm putting them in at the same time as everything else tonight.)

Roasted potatoes in general are fairly flexible. If your main dish cooks anywhere between 400 and 450 degrees, you can do roasted potatoes alongside. Just adjust baking time accordingly.

The best part? Dinner is cooking right now, and I'm sitting here in the living room. All the dishes from dinner prep are done. When dinner's over, we'll load the dishwasher and walk out of the kitchen with no more work waiting for us!

Don't forget to enter my Church Cookbook Giveaway through Thursday, November 17!

Giveaway: My Favorite Church Cookbook

2011-11-12T12:05:00.001-05:00

My name is Barb and I'm a cookbook addict. My kitchen cookbook shelf is more than full, and the collection has spilled over into the dining room as well.

When it comes to cookbooks, there's nothing like a church or community cookbook to give you an idea of the flavor of a neighborhood. So when our parish decided to reprint our wildly popular "Casey Collection" cookbook, I purchased an extra copy to give away to one lucky Mom's Fridge reader.

In this cookbook you'll find several of my recipes--all of which are also on the blog. There are also some Polish specialties like Golabki (yum), Pierogi (yum), and Babka (yum)! You'd expect nothing less from a cookbook originally published in St. Casimir Church. Not into Polish food? No problem; there are also recipes for Anise Toast, Cuban bread, and all sorts of other delicious favorites.

Would you like to WIN this cookbook? Here's how to enter:

1. Mandatory entry: Leave a comment on this post with the title of YOUR favorite cookbook!
2. "Like" Mom's Fridge on Facebook, and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.
3. Subscribe to the Mom's Fridge RSS feed (or "follow" the blog), and leave a separate comment here telling me you did so.

This contest closes at 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, November 17. One set of entries per person; USA readers only.

UPDATE: Contest closed. And the winner is....

Peg at Just Plain Insane! Congratulations!

Secret Recipe Club: Cinnamon Roll Muffins

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

There's nothing like homemade cinnamon rolls--but they take about 4 hours, start to finish, and unless you want to wake up at three in the morning to start breakfast, there's no easy way to get them done before lunchtime. Not that there's anything wrong with cinnamon rolls for lunch, or any time of the day, but sometimes you want them for breakfast.

That's why I had to try the Cinnamon Roll Muffin recipe that I found at The Baker Chick's blog. Audra has collected a big bunch of appetizing recipes for everything from breads to cakes to cookies, but these muffins definitely caught my eye. I was assigned this blog as part of the Secret Recipe Club, which is a wonderful way to visit new-to-you blogs and try new-to-you recipes!

Here's the recipe as I made it:

MUFFINS
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
3 cups flour plus more for dusting

FILLING
2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
2/3 cups brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

ICING
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 TBL milk or cream

Preheat oven to 375° F.Measure the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg into a mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk. Mix together with a fork. Add the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined with a large spoon - do not overmix!Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two. Roll the dough into a 12-inch by 24-inch rectangle.

Mix filling ingredients in a small bowl. Using an offset spatula, spread filling over the dough. Roll the dough into a log and stretch slightly. Cut into two-inch pieces and put the pieces into muffin tins lined with cupcake papers.Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes, and then remove from the muffin tins.

Mix icing, adding milk a little at a time to the powdered sugar until it reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzle with icing (if using) when cool.

Makes 12 to 18 muffins.

Changes I Made: The only change was that I mixed the filling instead of buttering the dough and sprinkling cinnamon-sugar separately.

My Bad: I'm pretty sure I overworked this dough, as the results were a little tough. Next time I'll go with a bit of a lighter touch. Pay attention to the part that says "Do not overmix!"

Survey SAYS: I couldn't resist tasting these when they were still hot...oh my, they were good! You could add some finely chopped nuts to the filling if you like, and they really don't even need the icing. These are a nice sweet breakfast treat. Save this recipe for the next snow day and you'll be your family's hero!

On the Menu: October 31 - November 12, 2011

2011-11-06T08:19:00.003-05:00

Chili Honey Chicken

Here's the almost-two-week dinner plan for early November.

Mon 31: French bread pizza

Tues 1: BBQ pork chops in the slow cooker, mac & cheese, broccoli

Wed 2: Caesar crumb chicken, rice, mixed vegetables

Thurs 3: Spaghetti

Fri 4: Pizza

Sat 5: Chili Honey Chicken, rice, broccoli

Sun 6: Beef enchiladas (using shredded beef frozen from last week's French Dip), Alfredo noodles, green peas with pearl onions

Mon 7: Chicken piccata bites, orzo, mixed vegetables

Tues 8: Pot roast in the slow cooker, potatoes, green beans

Wed 9: Beef & noodle skillet dinner, corn

Thurs 10: Spaghetti

Fri 11: Flounder, potatoes, broccoli

Sat 12: Chicken pot pie (possibly an "inside-out" version served over biscuits)

French Dip Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)

2011-10-30T19:33:00.002-04:00

This is a perfect busy-day recipe. You put it together in just a few minutes, then let it cook all day.

1 bottom-round roast, about 3 pounds
2 cups beef broth or consomme
Seasoning: freshly-ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt

Season the meat on all sides. Place in slow cooker and pour broth over it. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then turn down to LOW for about 7 to 8 hours.

Trim fat off the meat and cut into a few chunks, then shred with 2 forks OR if you have a stand mixer, try this really easy way:Put chunks of meat into the mixer. Using the paddle attachment, spin it a few times on LOW. Rearrange the contents of the bowl and spin a few more times. Watch carefully as there's a fine line between shredded and pureed.

(Hat tip to Gluten Free Homemaker for the stand-mixer idea! It really works!)

Serve on Italian rolls with the juice from the crockpot for dipping.

Menu Plan most of October 2011

2011-10-29T11:10:00.000-04:00

Big Brother came home from college for a few hours yesterday, to grab a winter jacket and reload on homemade cookies and Easy Mac.

For the record, Ranger Cookies still work if you forget to add the Rice Krispies. (I was wondering why the dough seemed a little different this time.)

When he and his girlfriend showed up, there was much rummaging in the refrigerator for lunch. That's when they got a look at the calendar on the front of the fridge. It's where I've been keeping my menu plan.

"Maybe we could eat our dinners here every night," Big Brother's girlfriend sighed. Best compliment EVER!

There's nothing like Dorm Food to make your kids appreciate Mom's Home Cooking.

Beginning of the month menu plan is here.

Sat 8: visited my parents & had dinner there

Sun 9: diner

Mon 10: Italian veal stew (which is apparently on my college student's Dinner Wish List for next time he comes home!)

Tues 11: Chicken enchiladas

Wed 12: Chicken & noodle skillet

Thurs 13: Spaghetti

Fri 14: Pizza

Sat 15: Fajitas (thanks, Father Leo!)

Sun 16: Roast chicken, baked potatoes

Mon 17: ate at the Irish Pub (if you're local, don't miss the Guinness Beef Stew over mashed potatoes)

Tues 18: Chicken Swiss Melt

Wed 19: Taco Skillet

Thurs 20: Spaghetti

Fri 21: Crab & corn soup (I'm not posting this recipe, as it was only so-so. I'll try again sometime)

Sat 22: Chicken on the grill, sauteed asparagus, yellow rice

Sun 23: Chicken parmesan

Mon 24: Slowcooker orange chicken, brown rice, Asian green beans

Tues 25: Maple-Hoisin Salmon (now with pictures!)

Wed 26: ate at the diner

Thurs 27: Lemon Mushroom Herb Chicken, rice, mixed vegetables

Fri 28: Spaghetti

Sat 29: Enchilada Soup

Sun 30: Italian Beef Sandwiches (With back-to-back rehearsals from 1 to 7 PM, I needed a trusty slow-cooker recipe for Sunday and this is perfect)

The plan for Halloween is still up in the air. A lot depends on what time trick-or-treat is going to start.

Care Package Time!

2011-10-25T10:18:00.001-04:00

Otherwise known as: how much can YOU fit into a Priority Mail Flat-Rate box?

I just boxed up a Halloween-treat package for Big Brother, who's in college. I used a small-size Priority Mail Flat-Rate box, which is about the size of a trade paperback book (approximately 5X8X1.5)

That is one STUFFED box. There are 2 15-packs of Extra gum, an entire bag of fun-size Snickers Peanut Butter Squared, and nearly an entire bag of fun-size standard Snickers. Only 3 candy bars wouldn't fit in the box. I'll consider those my tip.

It would probably be cheaper for me to just drive over and drop off a bag of treats, but there's nothing like getting a package in the mail.

Happy Halloween, Big Brother!

Sauteed Asparagus

2011-10-22T19:01:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe how easy this is! 3 ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need for a delicious side dish.

1 bunch asparagus spears (thin ones cook faster)
2 TBL minced garlic or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
3 TBL olive oil

Carefully rinse your fresh asparagus spears earlier in the day and leave them in a colander to dry, or gently pat dry with a paper towel.

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet, then add asparagus and garlic. Toss to coat, and stir fry for 5 minutes until asparagus is done.

Honey-Oat Bread (Secret Recipe Club)

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes things just don't go as planned. Fortunately, this bread was goof-proof at a time when I really needed it to be!

I was assigned Dinners, Dishes and Desserts as my Secret Recipe Club blog for October. Oh, the desserts! I think I gained 5 pounds just looking at the pictures. A few recipes are bookmarked for future taste-testing, like Cinnamon Roll Muffins--wouldn't those be a delicious breakfast treat? Erin has recipes for all sorts of tasty treats, as well as some main-dish recipes too.

It was hard to choose, but my decision was made when I saw the recipe for Honey-Oat Bread. I've got a toast eater in this house, and I was hoping to find a good bread recipe that would make great breakfast toast--to get him off the store-brand white bread he usually eats. This bread has a healthy dose of oatmeal, plus a touch of sweetness from the honey. We all liked it so much, there was barely any left for toast the next morning after we ate most of one loaf with dinner and shared the other with a neighbor.

This is some beautiful bread!

Here's the part where things didn't go as planned: I made the dough in the bread machine, and I was really distracted when I put it all together. (So distracted, in fact, that I dumped the yeast in with the water and other liquids--usually bread machine recipes call for the yeast to go in last, on top of the dry ingredients!) I was also so distracted that I didn't pay attention to the part where the beaten egg is used as a wash for the tops of the loaves. I tossed that right in to the bread machine as well. Then I realized what I'd done, but I figured, what the heck--I'll bake it and see what I get.

2 hours later the dough cycle was done and the dough was JUST at the top of the pan. It looked and felt just like bread dough is supposed to; slightly tacky, a little lumpy from the oatmeal (I only had old-fashioned oats). I divided it into 2 loaves, rolled up the dough and put in greased loaf pans.

So here's the recipe as I made it (the original recipe can be found here):

Honey-Oat Bread (makes two loaves)
Printable Recipe

1 ¾ cup warm water
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup honey
3 Tbl Canola Oil
2 ½ tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
¾ cups oats (I used old-fashioned but the original called for quick oats)
1 Tbl Active Dry Yeast

Add ingredients to your bread machine pan in order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle. When the cycle is done, remove bread to a floured surface and divide into two portions. Pat or roll into a rectangle, then roll tightly and place in two greased loaf pans. Allow to rise 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

Thanks, Erin, for this recipe for a delicious bread that went as well with dinner as it did with breakfast! This one is a keeper for sure.

Menu Plan October 1-7, 2011

2011-10-09T16:08:00.000-04:00

Sat 1: Honey mustard chicken, hash brown casserole, broccoli, oatmeal bread

Sun 2: leftovers

Mon 3: ate at the new Golden Corral buffet

Tues 4: Chicken piccata

Wed 5: Spaghetti

Thurs 6: went to a pasta party for Middle Sister's soccer team

Fri 7: Crab mac 'n cheese

September 2011 menu

2011-10-09T16:01:00.005-04:00

September was a crazy month! Big Brother was back at school and I was still getting used to cooking for only 4 again. Both kids are busy with soccer, and they were also both involved in a musical at the community theatre. It was rare that all 4 of us still at home got to eat all together--and I didn't want to have to resort to dining out too often. I wound up doing that more than I cared to, but we did manage to eat at home MOST nights.

Thurs 1: BBQ chicken in the crockpot, potatoes

Fri 2: pizza

Sat 3: leftovers

Sun 4: ate at the diner

Mon 5: picnic with friends. We brought Dr. Pepper baked beans and Cinnamon Roll CupcakesTues 6: taco skillet

Wed 7: Hawaiian Chicken, rice

Thurs 8: Roast chicken

Fri 9: Shrimp tacos

Sat 10: Chicken francese

Sun 11: potluck at the theatre. We brought baked ziti with meat.

Mon 12: BBQ chicken calzones

Tues 13: Spaghetti

Wed 14: Beef & noodle skillet

Thurs 15: ate out

Fri 16: ate out

Sat 17: Tandoori chicken

Sun 18: Spanish rice with pork

Mon 19: Chili honey chicken

Tues 20: Roast chicken cooked in gravy over noodles

Wed 21: Spanish garlic shrimp

Thurs 22: Chicken Caroline

Fri 23: Pasta with shrimp marinara

Sat 24: ate out

Sun 25: burgers

Mon 26: honey & garlic chicken

Tues 27: garlic & cheddar chicken

Wed 28: spaghetti

Thurs 29: combo tacos

Fri 30: French bread pizza

Quiche for One: It's What's for Lunch

2011-10-02T18:38:00.000-04:00

Real men might not eat quiche, but I love it as a quick, high-protein lunch. This recipe is NOT low in fat, but it sure is delicious. It's a twist on a full-size quiche recipe that my mom's been making since quiche (quiches?) were fashionable in the '80s.

Quiche for One
makes 6

Pie pastry for a single-crust pie (recipe below)

Filling:
1 cup salad shrimp, thawed if frozen
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dill weed

Use a 6-cup "jumbo" muffin tin. Divide pie dough into 6 portions and line each muffin cup with pie dough. It's not necessary to get this perfect-looking.
Divide shrimp and cheese among each muffin cup.
Combine eggs, milk, mayonnaise, and seasonings. Pour over the shrimp and cheese.
Bake about 30 minutes at 375. Use a cake tester to make sure the quiche is done in the center before removing from oven. It will be more puffy when first removed from the oven and then deflate a bit.
Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
These freeze well!

Pie pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
4 or 5 TBL cold water

Mix flour and salt; cut in shortening with pastry blender or forks until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle in water a little at a time, mixing with a fork after each addition. Repeat until dough can be formed into a ball.
Chill at least 1 hour until ready to use, to increase flakiness of the dough.

Secret Recipe Club: Buttermilk Biscuits

2011-09-12T04:00:00.000-04:00

My teenage daughter has been on a biscuit kick ever since we vacationed in Florida this summer. I think she ate biscuits at every meal. Then she wanted me to make them for her at home. I'm not a fan of Bisquick biscuits, so any biscuits I'd been making were the kind that came out of a Poppin' Fresh can. All you Southern cooks can laugh at this ignorant Yankee if you want. But you can be done laughing now, because I found a really good recipe and I know how to use it.

Thanks to Victoria at Mission: Food, the blog I was assigned for September's Secret Recipe Club, I learned that buttermilk biscuits are not mission: impossible for me!

Buttermilk Biscuits from Mission: Food
Makes 6 to 8 biscuits (depending on size)--I got 8 large biscuits from this recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 TBL baking powder
1 1/2 TBL sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 TBL salted butter, chilled and cubed
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour mixture, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse pea or dime-size crumbs. Be careful not to overwork the mixture or the butter will soften too much. Add the buttermilk, and use your fingers to combine it into the dough. Powder your hands with flour if the dough gets too sticky. The dough should just come together, do not over mix.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and form it into a ball. Lightly knead the dough 2 or 3 times until combined. (The biscuits can be baked the next day, if desired. Dust a sheet pan and the top of the dough with flour and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, overnight. Then bring the dough back to room temperature.)

Pat the dough into a 3/4 to 1-inch thick rectangle. Use a 2 to 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out several biscuits (do not twist the cutter, cut straight down). Place them on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Gather the dough scraps, smooth them out (lightly knead if necessary), and pat the remaining dough into another 3/4 to 1-inch thick rectangle or circle. Cut out more biscuits, and then repeat again if necessary to use remaining dough. Do not over work the dough each time, or the final biscuits will be tougher. Lightly dust the tops of the biscuits with a sprinkle of flour.

Bake the biscuits, rotating the pan front to back halfway through, for 15 to 22 minutes (depending on their size), or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm.

Changes I made: I used regular butter, not unsalted as the original recipe specified. I needed to add quite a bit of extra flour--about half a cup extra. Maybe it was the humidity in the air?

I found that the biscuits spread more side-to-side as opposed to rising very tall--even though the butter and buttermilk were very cold. I'd recommend leaving a couple of inches of space between them on the pan!

The finished product tasted terrific, and my biscuit-loving daughter was thrilled. Thanks, Mission: Food!

Giveaway: HomeRoutines App for iPhone/iPod touch

2011-09-06T14:18:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled that I've received an extra code to give all the iPhone/iPod touch users a chance to win a free app! I've been using the HomeRoutines app for iPhone/iPod touch since the beginning of the year, and when I got an iPad I bought the app for that as well. HomeRoutines is designed to help you manage those repetitive tasks that must be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

It's easy to use, with a nice-looking interface. It's easy to customize, which I love. And now that it's got a web component, it's easy to keep track of everything no matter what device you're using at the moment.

When you check off a task, you give yourself a gold star! And you can decide when the app resets the stars, so you don't have to go around every Monday morning and un-check everything you did last week.

I don't spend money on apps lightly; I bought the iPod app on sale. But when I got my iPad, I paid full price for that version of the app, and I've recommended it plenty of times. I even helped beta-test the web app and sync functionality. As a beta tester, I received a FREE code for the iPhone/iPod touch app to give away.

Want to win this app? Leave a comment on this post answering the question:

What's your least favorite household chore?

Remember, this code is only good for the iPhone/iPod touch version of HomeRoutines. The code will not work on the iPad version. Unfortunately, I don't have an iPhone or iPod to give away along with it.

This giveaway will close at midnight EDT on Saturday, September 10. Comments posted after that time will not be counted. A winner will be chosen at random from all comments on Sunday, September 11. One entry per person, please. Winners must supply a valid email address and must reply to notification of their win within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen.

Giveaway: Home Routines App for iPad

2011-09-03T20:30:00.000-04:00

I love it when I get to give away something that I use myself! I've been using the HomeRoutines app for iPhone/iPod touch since the beginning of the year, and when I got an iPad I bought the app for that as well. HomeRoutines is designed to help you manage those repetitive tasks that must be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

It's easy to use, with a nice-looking interface. It's easy to customize, which I love. And now that it's got a web component, it's easy to keep track of everything no matter what device you're using at the moment.

When you check off a task, you give yourself a gold star! And you can decide when the app resets the stars, so you don't have to go around every Monday morning and un-check everything you did last week.

I don't spend money on apps lightly; I bought the iPod app on sale. But when I got my iPad, I paid full price for that version of the app, and I've recommended it plenty of times. I even helped beta-test the web app and sync functionality. As a beta tester, I received a FREE code for the iPad app to give away.

Want to win this app? Leave a comment on this post answering the question:

What's your least favorite household chore?

Remember, this code is only good for the iPad version of HomeRoutines. The code will not work on the iPhone/iPod version. Unfortunately, I don't have an iPad to give away along with it.

This giveaway will close at midnight EDT on Thursday, September 8. Comments posted after that time will not be counted. A winner will be chosen at random from all comments on Friday, September 9. One entry per person, please. Winners must supply a valid email address and must reply to notification of their win within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen.

UPDATE: CLOSED!

Citrus Cilantro Chicken Legs

2011-09-03T14:13:00.000-04:00

Cook Lisa Cook made a Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe for the Secret Recipe Club that looked amazing! I had everything but a fresh lime--but there was plenty of lime juice to be had, and I had frozen some orange zest way back last winter when we got a bag of really bitter oranges. At least the zest didn't go to waste; I've been baking with it ever since.

CITRUS CILANTRO CHICKEN

6 chicken drumsticks or thighs (bone-in, skin on)
2 TBL olive oil
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp citrus zest
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. honey
salt & pepper to taste

In a zipper bag add the olive oil, citrus zest, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, cumin, honey, salt & pepper, and mix. Add the chicken pieces, close the bag and shake to coat. Refrigerate for a few hours to marinate. (I flipped the bag a few times).

Pre-heat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with foil (because it makes clean-up so much easier) and then brush with olive oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it skin side up on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the juices run clear.

What's Cookin'? Late August 2011

2011-09-03T14:05:00.001-04:00

Citrus cilantro chicken legs

It's been a while since I posted a menu plan, so here's the rest of August 2011:

14 - 18 vacation

Friday 19: Shrimp Scampi with Linguine (this is a great pantry meal! The frozen shrimp defrost quickly in cold water, and you can peel them in the time it takes to boil water for pasta.)

Saturday 20: at a family picnic

Sunday 21: Chili honey chicken, rice

Monday 22: Citrus cilantro chicken legs

Tuesday 23: Tacos

Wednesday 24: Chicken pitas, orzo with garlic

Thursday 25: Spaghetti

Friday 26: dinner out for TheDad's birthday

Saturday 27: Roast chicken, baked potatoes

Sunday 28: Luau chicken on the grill, corn on the cob

Monday 29: Southwest chili mac

Tuesday 30: Spaghetti

Wednesday 31: Meatball sandwiches

Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

2011-08-30T15:33:00.000-04:00

My Southwestern Chili Mac recipe calls for a teaspoon of ranch salad dressing mix. That's not the kind of thing I keep in the house, but I didn't have to run to the store to make that dinner! It's really easy to make this mix and keep it at home.

In an 8-ounce or larger jar (I used an old bottle from parsley flakes), combine:

1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
1 TBL dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Put the lid on and shake well to mix. Store in the refrigerator.

1 tablespoon = 1 packet of mix.

I love to keep seasoning mixes around, and this way I can control the seasonings. I used extra garlic powder and pepper since that's the way we like it. It's much more frugal to mix up a seasoning blend than to keep buying a new one, especially when I have many spices around to play with!

Recipe source

Southwestern Chili Mac

2011-08-30T11:32:00.002-04:00

This recipe was inspired by Picky Palate's Southwestern Chicken Chili Mac. It looked so delicious, I knew we had to try it.

I changed a few ingredients based on my family's preferences and what we had on hand. I had Pork Carnitas in the freezer and used that for the meat.

SOUTHWESTERN CHILI MAC
Print this recipe!

1/2 lb. small pasta, cooked al dente, drained and rinsed (shells, wagon wheels, elbows or spirals)
2 cups pork carnitas (or other shredded, cooked chicken or pork)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small bell pepper, finely chopped (any color)
1 TBL minced garlic
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with chilies, mild
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup corn (canned, frozen or fresh)
1/2 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBL chili powder
1 TBL cumin
1 tsp dry Ranch salad-dressing mix
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
oil for the pan

In a deep skillet, cook onions and peppers until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir until well combined and simmer until heated thoroughly.

In the future I will season this differently.

Ro-Tel adds enough spice that I could have done without the chili and cumin. Also, I'd rather use a can of tomato sauce and half a can of water for the liquid rather than chicken broth.

Remember to choose the right pan for the job. It's always better to have a pan that's a little bigger than you need--the pan on the right is the one I used for this recipe and I barely squeezed it all in. Stirring without spilling was a tough job.

This is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken or pork--or pasta that was leftover from another meal. I used half a can each of corn and beans, and froze the rest for next time. (Yes, canned vegetables can be frozen in appropriate containers). We really liked this easy, pantry-friendly dish.

How Hot is Hot?

2011-08-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

If you've ever found a recipe on a European, Canadian or Australian website, or in a very old cookbook, you'll notice some differences in temperature notation. So how hot IS a hot oven, anyway--and what's "gas mark 3?"

Thanks to Online Conversion for this very useful info!

Chili Honey Chicken

2011-08-22T15:21:00.000-04:00

Last week I was on vacation when the Secret Recipe Club "big reveal" took place. I didn't get to visit many of the blogs, but I did bookmark this recipe. It looked so delicious, I knew we had to try it.

Debbie at The Friday Friends made Chili Honey Chicken.

Since only 3 of us were home for dinner last night, I reduced the recipe--and also the spice (Little Brother is not in favor of a lot of spice.) The only other change I made was to sub out the sugar snaps in favor of fresh green beans, which were $5 cheaper per pound! Here it is as I made it:

CHILI HONEY CHICKEN
3 servings

MARINADE:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 TBL ponzu sauce (a soy sauce with citrus)
2 1/2 TBL sweet chili sauce

SAUCE:
2 TBL honey
2 TBL sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 TBL melted butter
1 TBL water
1/8 tsp garlic powder

OTHER:
1/2 pound fresh green beans
1/2 cup cornstarch
vegetable oil for the pan

Marinate chicken at least 1/2 hour. Before cooking, dump chicken into a colander to drain off excess marinade.

Dredge chicken in cornstarch, then saute in oil in batches so the pan doesn't get too crowded. Remove to a bowl.

When all the chicken is cooked, empty the pan and clean out any excess oil. Pour in the sauce and stir to deglaze the pan. Return chicken to pan and add green beans. Cook and stir until everything is coated in the sauce.

We ate this with brown rice. Delicious!

Frugal Hydration at College or Anywhere

2011-08-22T08:22:00.000-04:00

Big Brother went back to college yesterday. Last week, when he was making his grocery list, he observed that even though there's a supermarket down the block from school, everything is twice the price that it is at home. I do what I can to keep him in Dr. Pepper and a few other things that are impossibly priced in his school's Philadelphia neighborhood. (He took 4 cases of soda to school with him yesterday).

He's also a water drinker, and last year he'd hike the block to buy a case of water bottles and then lug that back to his dorm. This time, he mentioned that he'd do that when he got to school. Then he had another idea. "Maybe I'll just get a Brita pitcher and use that. I've got a sink in my room."

A water pitcher plus one extra filter will be enough to get him through the semester, and it weighs a whole lot less--and takes up much less space--than a case of water bottles that lasts 3 weeks at most. He's got a reusable bottle if he wants to carry water to class; otherwise, there are plenty of cups and mugs in his box of stuff.

I Confess

2011-08-19T17:33:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I did something that I have never done. I drove to the liquor store and bought two bottles of wine.

You see, we don't drink alcohol. It's our choice, and we're not going to judge others who choose differently, but this choice works for us. I keep a bottle of Jack Daniels around for Christmas cookies...and that's pretty much it.

You may have noticed that I have several recipes that call for wine. And here comes the confession part: all this time, I've been using cooking wine. (All together now: ewwwwwwwwww!)

Yeah. I make my own chicken stock, freeze lemon and lime juice and like to make things from scratch. And then I go to ShopRite and buy cooking wine.

Last Thanksgiving, we were given a bottle of white wine as a gift. I've been using it, 1/4 cup at a time, in Chicken Piccata and Shrimp Scampi. Last week we used the last of it. And I needed more for tonight.

Next time I go to the liquor store, I'll invest in some sherry and Marsala. Then my days of cooking with cooking wine will really be over.

Let's hear it for the Real Thing.

The big reveal

2011-08-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

The results are in from yesterday's big reveal in the secret recipe club. Want to know which of my recipes was chosen? It was my Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies. Over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, the cookie expert took my recipe in a new direction and made them into bars. Must try!

I am working without my computer this week and also without much wifi. I am still a newbie on this iPad so please excuse the lack of a link right now. If you check yesterday's secret recipe club post and scroll to the bottom of the link list you will find the recipe for Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

Secret Recipe Club: Roasted Garbanzos

2011-08-15T07:00:00.024-04:00

My Secret Recipe Club blog for August is A Vegan Obsession. The recipes on this blog are both vegan and gluten-free, which is pretty much the complete opposite of how I cook. Fortunately, there were some side dishes and snacks to choose from, and I found a great 3-ingredient recipe for a delicious, different, healthy snack: Roasted Chickpeas.

ROASTED GARBANZOS

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
coarse salt
garlic-pepper seasoning

Use a kitchen towel or paper towels to dry the garbanzos. Spread them on a cookie sheet (I covered it in foil) and season generously.

Here's how they looked before cooking. You could probably fit 2 cans' worth on a large cookie sheet. I had lots of room to spread them out.

Bake at 400 for at least 20 minutes, opening the door and shaking the pan 2 or 3 times during baking to move the garbanzos around.

They'll cool off quickly and be ready to eat! These are crunchy and tasty, and a good lowfat snack. Or you could smack them once or twice with your meat mallet and sprinkle them over a salad.

I like to call these "garbanzos" because that's just more fun to say. I didn't change much from the original except my use of seasoning; the original recipe called for "herbsalt" and ground black pepper.

This makes about 3/4 cup when cooked, so if you're planning to serve these to a crowd, you'll need to make several cans of beans.

Enjoy this unusual, crunchy, and frugal snack!

Don't forget to "like" my new facebook page: Mom's Fridge: Recipes.

Secret Recipe Club

2011-08-14T07:00:00.017-04:00

I don't believe in secret recipes. In my opinion, recipes are meant to be shared. When someone asks me for a recipe for a food I've served them, I take that as a huge compliment.

I remember when I used to help out at Bingo at my older son's school. I worked in the kitchen, cooking hot dogs and making coffee. There was an older lady who would show up at Bingo every Sunday with an amazing-looking chocolate cake. As soon as people saw her, they'd line up at the window, waiting for a slice.

People always wanted her recipe, and she would never share it. She said that she wouldn't even give this recipe to her own kids. What a shame!

The Secret Recipe Club is not about people who keep their recipes secret. Instead, it's a chance for bloggers to SECRETLY visit a food blog, prepare a recipe, and report back. Then, all at the same time, we post about it on our blogs. Only then do we find out who picked a recipe from our blog--and which one!

It's lots of fun. And tomorrow's the first of three Big Reveals for the month of August--this group has gotten so big that it had to be broken into three. Check back tomorrow to see whose recipe I chose. Until then--shhh! It's a secret!

On the Menu: August 1 - 13, 2011

2011-08-13T12:18:00.000-04:00

You can tell it's summer around here when in a 2-week period, we have pizza twice and takeout once! Every so often, the cook (that's me!) needs a day off too.

Asian chicken wraps. YUM!

Mon 1: pizza

Tues 2: Pie pan enchiladas, salad

Wed 3: Roast chicken, rice, broccoli

Thurs 4: Asian chicken wraps, brown rice

Fri 5: takeout

Sat 6: Steak on the grill, crispy smashed potatoes, corn. The potato dish was a new recipe and received a BIG thumbs-up. You get baked-potato flavor, but they're not all dried out.

Sun 7: Tandoori chicken, Alfredo noodles, mixed vegetables

Mon 8: Gyros, pasta salad, cucumbers

Tues 9: Cheddar garlic chicken (now with pictures!), sweet potato fries, broccoli

Wed 10: Spaghetti with meatballs

Thurs 11: Beef noodle skillet, corn

Fri 12: Pizza

Sat 13: Chicken piccata bites, rice, broccoli

Waste Not, Want Not: Citrus

2011-08-10T15:19:00.000-04:00

Tell me I'm not the only one who buys a bunch of lemons or limes because they are sold in a bag or sold "8 for a low, low price," uses four of them and then lets the rest molder in the fruit drawer of the fridge.

Today I rummaged around in the fruit drawer and found 4 lemons and 4 limes hanging around in there. The limes were starting to turn yellow, and I knew that brown and icky were just days away, so I decided to head them off at the pass.

I squeezed the limes and then poured the juice into ice-cube trays. Into the freezer they went, and then I did the same with the lemons.

The juice of one lime made 3 ice cubes; one lemon made 2. That may be due to differences in the size of my ancient ice-cube trays (I have about 8 of them in random sizes).

When they're completely frozen I'll transfer them to labeled freezer bags.

This would also work with orange juice.

Spicy Asian Chicken Wraps

2011-08-04T18:57:00.001-04:00

I saw this recipe at Barbara's cooking blog and thought it would be something my family would enjoy. On the way to the supermarket today, though, I heard a news story on the radio about salmonella in ground turkey, so I decided to revamp the recipe. Instead, I used slices of boneless, skinless chicken breast. The cooking technique is changed a bit to reflect the change in ingredients. Next time I make this, I won't change a thing: we loved this! (Plus, the chicken was on sale!)

Spicy Asian Chicken Wraps
Printable Recipe

2 TBL olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 TBL minced garlic cloves
2 TBL ginger root, peeled and grated
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1/2 cup flour
4 TBL soy sauce
2 TBL Sriracha
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small can water chestnuts, chopped
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
1-2 heads butter lettuce

Dredge sliced chicken in flour. Saute in olive oil and remove to a dish to keep warm. In the same pan, saute onion until soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan and add soy sauce and Sriracha. Stir to coat. Add cilantro and water chestnuts and cook 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve on butter lettuce, folding each leaf closed to make a little package.

Menu Plan end of July 2011

2011-08-02T14:35:00.000-04:00

Just catching up...

Mon 25: Lemon Mushroom Herb Chicken

Tues 26: Pot roast

Wed 27: Spaghetti

Thurs 28: Shrimp Tacos

Fri 29: ate out

Sat 30: family picnic

Sun 31: neighborhood picnic

Menu Plan July 16-24, 2011

2011-07-24T19:51:00.000-04:00

Saturday 16: French bread pizza with meatballs

Sunday 17: picnic for our church folk group: burgers, hot dogs, Dr. Pepper baked beans, corn relish, pasta salad, homemade sauerkraut

Monday 18: BBQ chicken in the slow cooker

Tuesday 19: chicken & dumplings

Wednesday 20: spaghetti

Thursday 21: combo tacos

Friday 22: not home

Saturday 23: burgers

Sunday 24: Mexican steak on the grill, Mini Farfalle

Mini Farfalle with Garlic and Onions

2011-07-24T18:48:00.001-04:00

Here's a twist on a side dish I usually make with orzo. I was all set to make it tonight, and had already defrosted the chicken broth, when I discovered that I didn't have any orzo. So I improvised--and it was good!

1 small onion, chopped fine
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbl olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 cups mini bow-tie pasta
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. When everything is soft, add the broth and thyme. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and peas, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer and cover. Simmer 20 minutes. Stir in cheese and serve immediately.

Combo Tacos

2011-07-21T17:49:00.001-04:00

Kind of a taco, kind of a burrito...very delicious.

INGREDIENTS
1 can refried beans, heated
1 can Rotel (I used the lime & cilantro flavor)
1 lb. ground beef, browned & drained
1 small onion, chopped fine
10 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar, Jack or a blend)
1 TBL adobo (if without pepper, add 1/2 tsp pepper)

After browning ground beef, saute the onions in the same pan until slightly caramelized. Return ground beef to pan and add Rotel and adobo. Simmer 10 minutes.
Serve on warmed tortillas with refried beans and cheese.

Secret Recipe Club: Cucumber Salad

2011-07-18T07:00:00.035-04:00

It's time again for the Secret Recipe Club, where you visit a cooking blog, try one of their recipes, and report back. No one knows who tried their recipe until they see the posts today.

This cucumber salad makes a nice simple side dish that's great for lunch or dinner in the summertime! You don't get a huge amount, so if you're feeding a bunch or having a picnic, just increase the recipe.

Birthe's a wonderful photographer and the illustrations that accompany her recipes are amazing. New Yorker By Heart has many grilling recipes and also homemade pizza recipes! If I'd been sent to this blog at a colder time of year, I'd have chosen a pizza to try.

CUCUMBER SALAD from New Yorker By Heart

1 cucumber
2 TBL rice wine vinegar
2 TBL cider vinegar
1 tsp coarse salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 1/2 tsp sugar
(ADDED a few sprigs of garden-fresh dill)

Slice cucumber down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. Slice each half into 4 strips and then chop into small pieces.
Mix remaining ingredients (except dill) and pour over cucumber in small bowl.
Stir.
Add dill sprigs and refrigerate a few hours until ready to serve.

Here's how to scoop the seeds out of the cucumber: a melon baller works great! As you can see, I had a little helper.

This blog is originally in Danish, which made things a challenge. I was thrilled to discover that the Google Chrome browser (which I use) automatically translates--but as a former language teacher I know that not all online translation works. I did guess at one ingredient in this recipe as it did not translate: risvinseddike which I am assuming is rice wine vinegar.

Some of the translation was funny--a few recipes called for items to be "executed" in the oven. Bake? Broil? Roast? I wasn't sure, so I kept to a simple recipe that I didn't think I'd lose in the translation.

Menu Plan first half of July 2011

2011-07-15T20:26:00.000-04:00

Is it a menu plan if you post it after the fact? It's summer, and I've gotten more "fly by night" about menu planning, especially since attendance at dinner is sporadic as far as my 2 teens are concerned. Very often I wind up changing the plan 3 or 4 times by the time 6:00 rolls around!

FRIDAY 1: Shrimp scampi with pasta (now with pictures!)

SATURDAY 2: Grilled chicken

SUNDAY 3: Waffles

MONDAY 4: Grilled steak

TUESDAY 5: Carnitas

WEDNESDAY 6: Maple-dijon chicken

THURSDAY 7: Spaghetti

FRIDAY 8: Homemade pizza (using the same dough as Calzones)

SATURDAY 9: Burgers

SUNDAY 10: not home

MONDAY 11: Chicken piccata bites (now with pictures!)

TUESDAY 12: not home

WEDNESDAY 13: Beef noodle skillet

THURSDAY 14: ate at the diner

FRIDAY 15: Italian veal stew (now with pictures!)

The Cleaner Picker-Upper

2011-07-13T18:01:00.000-04:00

Today I figured out a way to drain ground beef without making a huge mess and accidentally pouring grease down the sink (a BIG no-no if you don't want your drainpipes clogged).

My dirty-dish pile included a small skillet that someone had used to fry an egg for breakfast. I lined it with 3 or 4 paper towels, then placed a colander inside.

Then I poured the cooked ground beef out of the big skillet and into the colander.

All the grease drained onto the towels below.

Sorry for that last shot--I know it's gross, but I wanted to show that there were NO spills. I just carried the skillet with the towels right to the trash and dumped them in. No mess and nothing down the drain.

Proof

2011-07-09T22:11:00.001-04:00

...that not everyone lives by the Pantry Principle.

Little Brother's friend is visiting for a sleepover. I just sent them off to bed and reminded them to brush their teeth.

"I don't have a toothbrush," our visitor replied.

"I can fix that," I told him, and pulled a box out of the linen closet that had 5 or 6 new toothbrushes and a few tubes of toothpaste in it.

Wide-eyed, he asked me, "Are you a dentist?"

Nope. And I'm not an Extreme Couponer either. But I like to keep a few extras of life's little necessities around for times like these--when visitors don't remember to bring a toothbrush.

Calzones

2011-07-06T13:40:00.001-04:00

Everyone in my family likes calzones, but I haven't had the greatest success making them at home. I had high hopes, though, when I bookmarked the recipe for Buffalo Chicken Calzones over at Once a Month Mom.

Since I don't like Buffalo chicken, I decided to make some of my calzones with barbecue chicken. These wound up being the ones everyone loved.

The next time, I filled the calzones with mozzarella cheese and sliced meatballs. Once again, this was a hit! (The pictures are from the meatball batch, but the technique is the same.)

BARBECUED CHICKEN FILLING

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup Cheddar or Cheddar-Jack cheese, shredded
1 medium onion, caramelized
1 cup barbecue sauce

MEATBALL FILLING
10 to 12 meatballs, sliced (1 per calzone)
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese

One sliced meatball per calzone.

Top with cheese (the kids want me to add more next time!)

Crimp it tightly so the filling doesn't leak out!

HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH from Once a Month Mom
15 ounces warm water
1 TBL active dry yeast
1 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 TBL olive oil
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

This is the easiest pizza dough ever! Just mix yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil with the warm water in a large bowl. Mix in the flour with a wooden spoon. No kneading necessary. The dough will not look or feel like a kneaded bread dough, but don't worry! Cover with a towel and let it rest at room temperature for about 2 hours. (In summer, if I have the air conditioner on, I take the covered bread bowl out to the porch to rise the dough.)
Roll out the dough on a floured surface and divide it into 10 to 12 portions for calzones.

Calzone dough immediately after mixing.

2 hours later, here's the dough after rising!

TO BAKE: Place finished calzones on cookie sheet (I cover the sheet in parchment paper.) Brush tops of calzones with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired. Bake in preheated 450-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Print this recipe!

Now with Pictures!!

2011-07-02T14:54:00.000-04:00

I'm not the finest photographer in the world, but I do love to see photos of a finished dish (and sometimes, photos of work in progress helps me make sense of the steps.)

So, since I like that feature in other people's blogs, I've been trying to include it in my own.

Last night I made Shrimp Scampi with Linguine and photographed that before we dug in.

Are you hungry yet? (Yes, I added the photo to my recipe post, but I put it here to whet your appetite.) I'd eat this again today, but we're out of shrimp now.

I admit that the photo-adding idea is not my own; Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has been working on this project, and her determination has inspired me to fill in my own recipe-photo gaps. Thanks, Kristen!

Val's Lemon Mushroom Herb Chicken

2011-06-19T17:43:00.000-04:00

One of my friends from the Family Corner forums invented this recipe. I make enough of the flour mixture to do about 5 batches of the chicken, and just keep it in a jar. You only need 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the mix per batch. Here's the recipe with my changes.

LEMON MUSHROOM HERB CHICKEN

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried thyme
4 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Dredge chicken in the mixture to coat, patting off any excess flour.
Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook chicken until no longer translucent. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, wine, and lemon juice; pour over chicken.
Cover skillet, and simmer 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley.

NOTE: This works well with chicken chunks as you get more of the seasoning on the coating--and more sauce on the chicken! Serve it over rice. The gravy is delicious.

June 2011 Menu Plan

2011-06-19T17:36:00.005-04:00

May 30: Memorial Day: burgers and hot dogs on the grill, pasta salad

May 31: Chicken pitas

June 1: Calzones. I made Buffalo Chicken and Barbecue Chicken with Caramelized Onions. The barbecue was the biggest hit.

June 2: Spaghetti

June 3: Shrimp tacos

June 4: Fajitas

June 5: Hoagies

June 6: Lemon Mushroom Herb Chicken

June 7: Shredded Chicken Tacos (these tasted great--but were very drippy. I want to find another way to use the meat from this dish.)

June 8: Takeout

June 9: Spaghetti

June 10: Shrimp tacos (again! By popular demand! Yes, it is that good)

June 11: Not home

June 12: Not home

June 13: Beef Skillet

June 14: Balsamic chicken with thyme (now with picture!)

June 15: Tacos

June 16: Ravioli with marinara

June 17: Carnival

June 18: Chicken on the grill

June 19: Ate out for Father's Day

June 20: Chicken barley soup

June 21: Chicken francese

June 22: Cheesesteak sloppy joes

June 23: Meatball calzones (using the Once a Month Mom pizza dough)

June 24: pizza

June 25: at a family party

June 26: Chicken piccata bites, farfalle with mixed vegetables

June 27: ate out

June 28: Hawaiian chicken, rice, green beans with almonds

June 29: ate out

June 30: Chicken Pitas. I discovered that you can make this in a skillet just as easily as you can on a griddle pan--but any spatters are much better contained. So there were no "grill marks." So what? As soon as you fold the pita, you don't see any grill marks anyway. I'm all about keeping it easy AND delicious.

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate-Chip Cookies

2011-06-14T16:01:00.000-04:00

One of the big hits at the cast-and-crew Tech Week dinners that the parents hosted at my daughter's high school this year was a plate of Oreo-stuffed chocolate-chip cookies that appeared every night. No one could figure out who brought it--and we all wanted the recipe. Only a lucky few kids even got to taste those cookies, because the platter was emptied in a flash every single night.

I found the original recipe at Picky Palate, but I wanted to make a few changes. First of all, I saw how huge those cookies were. I figured a mini Oreo would be easier to work with and would result in a smaller cookie. Also, I have my own favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe, so I used that for the dough.

Here's the procedure:

1. Refrigerate your cookie dough for at least an hour before starting.

2. Use a teaspoon to remove balls of dough. Flatten on a sheet of waxed paper.

3. Place a mini Oreo on half the flattened disks of dough.

4. Place another disk on top of the disk with the Oreo, then carefully mold the dough around the cookie so no Oreo is showing. (Pardon the poor photo; I was baking with one hand and photographing with the other since the kids weren't home to help me!)

5. Place on baking sheet (I like to line my baking sheets with a silicone liner). Bake about 1 minute longer than you usually would for chocolate-chip cookies. Your mileage may vary, but this timing worked for me.

6. Cool on wire rack before enjoying them!

Thanks again for the inspiration, Picky Palate!

My Favorite Chocolate-Chip Cookies

2011-06-14T15:41:00.002-04:00

One of my friends brought a plate of these cookies to some event or other. We all praised her baking and she let us know that her husband had made them. We have since designated Bob the Official Baker for all our events. (I don't think he minds. He feeds us cookies; we feed his ego. Everyone's happy.)

Big Brother likes these cookies so much that he once told me that he'd be willing to steal Bob's recipe box so I could get the recipe. Bob thought that was funny and offered me the recipe. No one had to break into Bob's kitchen to get it.

These are a little different from your everyday chocolate-chip cookies since there's a touch of cinnamon in them. They're delicious--and addictive. Here's the recipe:

BOB'S CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES

Print This Recipe

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened (in summer 15 minutes at room temp is plenty. Do not melt or heat the butter)

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I've been known to add up to 2 tsp)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 package chocolate chips, whatever kind you like best (I like mini chips in these, but any kind works)

Cream butter, sugars, vanilla and egg with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients, excluding chips. Stir in chips by hand or use the mixer on very low speed. If dough is very soft, chill for a little while before baking to make it easier to handle.

Roll 1 tsp-sized balls and place on baking sheet. Bake 9 minutes at 375. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 6 to 7 dozen.

Secret Recipe Club: Shrimp Tacos

2011-06-13T07:00:00.013-04:00

I could get carried away trying new desserts, thanks to the Secret Recipe Club, but I decided that when possible I'd make a new-to-me main dish recipe instead. We don't eat dessert very often (except for ice cream) and we do eat dinner every single night.

This recipe turned out to be great for those nights when it's just too hot to cook--because there's only 5 minutes of cook time involved!

My assigned blog this month was Every Little Thing. This blog emphasizes the use of fresh ingredients, and it's full of photos that will make you drool! Stacy's recipe for Shrimp Tacos was truly simple to make and everybody here loved it! In fact, we had it twice in two weeks--by popular demand :)

I doubled the original shrimp recipe to feed my crew and used a different salsa recipe, so here it is as I made it:

SHRIMP TACOS

1 pound raw shelled, deveined shrimp, tails removed
2 TBL extra virgin olive oil
4 TBL flour
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine the cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and season the shrimp, then dredge in flour. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the shrimp 2 to 3 minutes on each side, and they're done!

Serve on warmed tortillas with fresh pico de gallo (my recipe below). Stacy served hers with a mango salsa. A nice green salad and some corn on the cob makes a great, quick summertime meal that tastes like you fussed--without heating up the kitchen!

(I did not add cheese or lettuce to my shrimp taco but other family members did. That's what's great about tacos--you can top them as desired.)

MY OWN PICO DE GALLO

3 medium plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), diced
1/4 cup finely-chopped red onion
2 TBL jalapeno peppers, chopped fine
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Combine and chill for several hours before serving.

Join the club! It's lots of fun. And visit the other participating Secret Recipe Club blogs:

Luau Chicken

2011-05-28T16:02:00.001-04:00

This is modified from a Taste of Home recipe. I didn't want to use it for sandwiches. This cooks in a flash and is a delicious change from other grilled chicken recipes. BONUS: it stays nice and moist.

This recipe is also a great way to use up that last bit of mustard in a jar. When you can't scrape any more mustard out, but there's still some clinging to the sides and bottom, save the mustard jar to make the marinade for this chicken dish. Just dump all ingredients for the marinade into the jar, cover and shake!

LUAU CHICKEN

(makes 6 servings)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 TBL mustard (use any kind you like: dijon, honey, brown--we like Koszkiusko)
6 ounces pineapple juice (3/4 cup or one small can)
1 TBL brown sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground pepper

Mix mustard, juice, sugar, salt and pepper together. Pour over chicken in a container or ziplock bag. Marinate at least 1 hour (up to 4 hours), then grill. This cooks quickly so have your side dishes ready to go!

End of May Meal Plan

2011-05-28T15:54:00.000-04:00

This will JUST about get me through the end of the month.

Saturday 21: We had Chicken Parm planned, but I found a great deal on rib-eye steaks (my husband's other favorite!) Weather was more favorable for grilling on Saturday than it would be on Sunday, so we had steak on the grill, broccoli and Roasted Potatoes with Old Bay.

Sunday 22: Chicken Parmesan

Monday 23: Skillet Turkey & Noodles

Tuesday 24: sick day!

Wednesday 25: Slow-cooker BBQ pork chops, brown rice, brussels sprouts

Thursday 26: Spaghetti & meatballs

Friday 27: Baked flounder with fresh parsley and lemon, cilantro rice, corn on the cob

Saturday 28: Luau chicken on the grill, seasoned potatoes in the slow cooker

Sunday 29: Mexican steak

As for next week, I'm still figuring that out. The kids and I have rehearsals for 4 nights for a church musical event; Middle Sister has choir events on the 2 nights when we don't have church rehearsals. I've got to put on my thinking cap and make this all work.

Original Recipe: Roasted Potatoes with Old Bay

2011-05-21T18:43:00.001-04:00

These roasted potatoes were inspired by Chickie's & Pete's Crab Fries. They're spicy--and really good!

ROASTED POTATOES WITH OLD BAY
Printable version

6 russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
2 TBL Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
2 TBL olive oil plus 1 TBL for the pan

Preheat oven to 400. Cover a heavy baking sheet with foil. Brush with 1 TBL olive oil. Toss potatoes, seasonings and 2 TBL olive oil in a large bowl. Pour out onto the prepared pan. Spread potatoes so that they are in a single layer. Use a spatula to scrape the rest of the oil and seasonings out of the bowl onto the potatoes. Bake for 25 minutes at 400, then turn potatoes over and bake another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Cub Scout Porkalicious End-of-Year Un-Picnic

2011-05-21T08:02:00.000-04:00

Another year of Cub Scouts is in the books. And Little Brother only has two more years (more like 1 1/2, really) in Cub Scouts before crossing over to Boy Scouts, so I only have two more end-of-year picnics to cater.

Yesterday we were on Day 6 of the May Mildew-Fest here in New Jersey. The Scouts were supposed to have a cookout, with burgers and hot dogs on the grill, and then camp for the night in the field behind the parish center. When that field turned into a soggy mess and bad weather still threatened, plans to camp out were scrapped. The parents were happy about that; the boys, not so much. What boy has ever let a little mud get in the way of his fun?

With the possibility of thunderstorms, plans to cook on the grill were also scrapped. Fortunately our parish center has a large and fabulously-equipped kitchen, so it was easy enough to come up with a Plan B.

Here's the menu of our Cub Scout Porkalicious End-of-Year Un-Picnic:

hot dogs
sausage, pepper & onion sandwiches
pasta salad
tossed salad
baked beans
potato chips & pretzels
cookies
watermelon slices
Boost*, iced tea and water (5 gallons of each)

*it's a local thing.

We were expecting between 80 and 100 people. I don't know how many showed up but there were a few missing, and a few others we didn't expect.

Here's how I made the sausage, peppers and onions in a Nesco roaster. (Actually, TWO 18-qt. Nesco roasters were needed for this quantity)

12 pounds sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
15 pounds green bell peppers, sliced
10 pounds onions, sliced
Drizzle of olive oil

Line cookie sheets with foil and place sausage pieces on foil, leaving a little space between each. Bake in regular oven for 25 minutes at 350. Larger pieces will take longer!

Layer 2/3 of the onions in the bottom of the roaster. Place all peppers on top of the onions. Place sausage on top of the peppers. Place remaining onions on top of the sausage, drizzle with olive oil and close the roaster. Stir after an hour and turn down to simmer at least another hour until ready to serve.

Birthday Bundt Cake: Chocolate with Caramel Glaze

2011-05-18T16:44:00.000-04:00

I'm not much of a cake person. I'd much rather have cookies or pie. But when there's a birthday, there should be cake.

Each Wednesday, we host practice for our church's Folk Group. It's more comfortable than practicing in church, and people can bring their kids to hang out with my kids. When there's a birthday, we celebrate with a cake.

I've been on a bundt-cake kick lately, as these are easy to make and serve. And I've discovered that doctoring up a box cake mix with some pudding and using a glaze rather than frosting makes a cake that even I feel like eating!

Here's tonight's edition of the Birthday Bundt Cake: Chocolate with Caramel Glaze

CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
1 box devil's food cake mix
1 small box INSTANT chocolate pudding mix
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

Mix and bake as directed on box instructions (for me, it's 50 minutes at 350.)

CARAMEL GLAZE
(I found this one over at Bless Us O Lord)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 ounce milk
dash of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioners sugar

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and milk. Cook and stir one minute until mixture is smooth*.
Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients and beat with electric mixer until well blended. Drizzle over cake.

This was only half the original recipe but it still made a very generous amount of glaze!

*DO NOT melt the butter in the microwave, stir everything else in and expect it to get smooth. Ask me how I know this. It still tasted delicious, but was a little on the grainy side.

Takeout You Can Make at Home: Chipotle

2011-05-16T20:43:00.001-04:00

Blame it on my college student. He and his friends discovered Chipotle Mexican Grill, where hungry college kids can eat a huge meal for about $8 including a drink. Then he got me hooked on it.

Then I started wondering how I could make it at home. A little Google here, a little help from Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur, and a tried-and-true Pork Carnitas recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking got me to something that's pretty darn close. It satisfied two Chipotle-loving college students, plus three more people, and there's enough left over for at least 4 lunches. I'm guessing this recipe would yield 8 servings, probably for the price of 2 meals at the restaurant. (Not everyone likes beans, so I didn't make too many there. Just double the recipe if you need more).

There are a lot of components to this meal and some need to be made ahead. So I'm listing these in the order of prep.

Pork Carnitas (my kids said the spice wasn't right for Chipotle, but if I ever figure out what spices they use in the Carnitas, I'll just sub them in and use this technique.)

CHIPOTLE-STYLE PICO DE GALLO

3 medium plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), diced
1/4 cup finely-chopped red onion
2 TBL jalapeno peppers, chopped fine (I used the ones from a jar)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Combine and chill for several hours before serving.
(This was so good and so easy to make! It will be great with tortilla chips too.)

CHIPOTLE-STYLE CORN SALSA

2 12-oz bags frozen corn, thawed
2 TBL jalapeno peppers, chopped fine (I used the ones from a jar)
1/4 to 1/3 cup finely-chopped red onion
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of one lime
salt to taste

Combine in a large bowl. Serve at room temperature.

CHIPOTLE-STYLE PINTO BEANS
1 can pinto beans with liquid
1 TBL bacon fat
1/4 tsp oregano

Combine in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed (about 25 minutes). Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve.

CHIPOTLE-STYLE BLACK BEANS

1 can black beans with liquid
2 TBL bacon fat
1/4 cup finely-chopped onion
1 heaping TBL minced garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
dash liquid smoke

Combine in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed (about 25 minutes). Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve.

CHIPOTLE-STYLE CHILANTRO-LIME RICE

In a rice cooker, combine:
3 measures long-grain white rice (my rice measure is less than a cup)
water to correspond with 3 rice measures, depends on the cooker manufacturer --I just fill to the line on the cooker
1 TBL butter

When the rice is cooked, stir in 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro and the juice of one fresh lime.

ADD YOUR OWN TOPPINGS: sour cream, guacamole, Cheddar-Jack cheese

For the record, I got the fresh cilantro from my garden!

Secret Recipe Club: Lime Meltaways

2011-05-16T07:00:00.004-04:00

When I found out that Amanda is hosting a new monthly fun feature, The Secret Recipe Club, I just had to get in on it. I love trying new recipes, so this club was tailor-made for me.

The idea here is that you are assigned to visit the blog of another club member. You can choose any recipe from that blog, prepare it, and write about it on your own blog.

For me, the hardest part was figuring out which recipe to choose! When I was sent to visit Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I immediately found five recipes I wanted to try. I finally had to stop looking and just pick something. They ALL looked so good--and I bookmarked a bunch to try later. I've been on a "fresh ingredients" kick lately, so I chose the recipe for Lime Meltaways. Like blog author Lisa, I'm a fan of any lemon- or lime-flavored cookie or pastry. I think that these delicious cookies would work with either flavor!

WARNING: Do not eat these cookies while wearing black!!

Here's the recipe with a couple of small changes that I made. (Bake temp was not given in the recipe, but the author mentioned that it was a Martha Stewart recipe, so I was able to find the original. And I adjusted the quantity of lime juice and zest since I only had one lime in the house).

LIME MELTAWAYS (from Martha Stewart via Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

12 Tbsp. salted butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar, divided (1/3 cup and 2/3 cup)
zest of 1 fresh lime
juice of 1 fresh lime
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Cream butter and 1/3 c. sugar until fluffy. Add zest, juice, and vanilla. Beat till fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch. Roll dough into two 1 1/4" diameter logs. Chill 1 hour.

Slice logs into 1/8" thick rounds. Place on baking sheets and bake about 15 min. at 350 until barely golden. Let cool slightly, 8-10 min. Place remaining 2/3 c. sugar in a resealable plastic bag. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag and toss to coat.

Would I do anything different next time? I'd probably not shake the cookies in a bag with the sugar to coat them. Even with only putting in a few cookies at a time, I wound up with a lot of crumbled cookies. Of course, I ate them anyway--they were still very delicious! I'll probably just sift powdered sugar over the cookies next time. And I wished that I had been more careful to shape the logs; mine were kind of flat on one side, so my cookies were a bit misshapen. Either that, or I'll square them off so I can say they're square on purpose!

This was a lot of fun and I'll definitely play along again next time. If you're a fan of lemon or lime, you'll love these cookies; they just melt in your mouth and were super easy to make.

Visit the other blogs in the Secret Recipe Club!

Upcoming Meal Plan: Just Me and the Kids Week

2011-05-14T15:06:00.000-04:00

When my husband's on a business trip, some of our regular menu routines change. They used to change even more, but now his schedule at work has shifted a bit and he misses dinner with the family more often than not these days. It's not a situation we're thrilled with, but it's the one we live with right now, and I try to make the best of it on the days when he IS able to join us at mealtime by having something he especially likes.

Last night, unfortunately, that didn't work out--and I had to be the gatekeeper over the skillet of Rainbow Stir Fry before the hungry teenagers ate all of Dad's dinner! (This is such a yummy, quick dish. I put snow pea pods in it instead of the peas listed in my recipe. This kind of dish is pretty forgiving that way.)

This week, we'll eat earlier, and a bit differently. I gave myself one "fast food" night as a break from it all. We'll see what the kids lobby for that day.

SATURDAY: TheDad and Little Brother are on a Cub Scout outing. The rest of us will eat hot dogs or chili with rice (from the freezer) and miscellaneous leftover side dishes. It's pretty much "Raid the Fridge" night for me and the 2 teenagers.

SUNDAY: We're going to the diner after church before TheDad leaves on his trip. Dinner will be Chicken Pitas.

MONDAY: Pork carnitas, "Chipotle" style. I've found some copycat recipes for the rice, corn relish, and pinto beans. If it's a success, I'll post it.

TUESDAY: Fast-food night. Halfway point of Mom Flies Solo Week!

WEDNESDAY: Breakfast for dinner: French toast, bacon, and fresh fruit.

THURSDAY: Spaghetti and meatballs. Of course. What else would we eat on a Thursday?

FRIDAY: Cub Scout crossover ceremony and picnic. Burgers and hot dogs, maybe a giant roaster oven of baked beans if I am so moved, some pasta salad and tossed salad, chips and dessert. We keep it easy at these events. I'm still waiting on the number attending so I can get started planning this meal, since the shopping and non-grill cooking/food prep is on me.

SATURDAY: Chicken parmesan--my husband's favorite dish.

Little Red Wagon

2011-05-11T17:50:00.000-04:00

I'm always so tempted by recipes that call for fresh herbs. But buying expensive fresh herbs in the grocery store--only to use about 1/4 of the package--seems so wasteful to me. So even though I am an absolutely terrible gardener, I'd been thinking for a while that I'd like to have a little herb garden.

This rusty old wagon has been sitting in our shed for quite a while. It used to belong to my husband when he was a kid, and my father-in-law had brought it here for our kids. But they're from the age of "plastic is better" and they already had a big plastic wagon. That little red wagon just sat around, useless.

I figured that it would make a great place for a small container garden. If bad weather is predicted, I can just pick up the handle and wheel it into the garage or back porch. Right now I have it in a sunny spot right near the front door.

My neighbor had a ton of mint taking over her garden, so she offered me a sturdy mint plant to get started. I separated that from the other herbs that are in the same box.

Here's what else I planted (besides the mint):

cilantro
dill
thyme
flat-leaf parsley
oregano
basil

I'm already thinking ahead; if I can manage to keep this garden without killing it, I want to get a little rosemary tree (shrub, bush, what do you call a rosemary?) I could keep it in a pot outside until it gets cold, then bring it in and keep it in the house for the winter.

Besides the friendly advice from my neighbor, I got a lot of courage and information from this little book: Get Your Hands Dirty by Jeanne Grunert. It's written for people like me--beginning gardeners, who might even think they have a "black thumb."

My next project: I'm thinking optimistically that my herb garden will thrive and I'll have more than I need. So I'll have to learn all about how to save/freeze/dry these herbs for winter. The idea is to make back my investment (about $50 for 6 plants, 2 window boxes, 1 bag potting soil, 1 watering can). I figure that if I use fresh herbs 20 times, I'll have reached that goal. Anything beyond that is a freebie!

All-Access

2011-05-09T20:14:00.000-04:00

See what happens when I hang a whiteboard on the fridge and encourage the kids to write down stuff we need from the store?

A certain Simon & Garfunkel fan felt the need to amend my list. For the record, I've got plenty of parsley, sage, and even rosemary.

Speedy Skillet Dinner

2011-04-30T12:20:00.002-04:00

Everyone in my family likes the Skillet Stroganoff recipe that Barbara shared. I leave out the sour cream, which makes it more of a "hamburger helper" type dinner, but that's how we like it.

I've worked out ways to do a good amount of the cooking of this dinner ahead of time, which is great for days like today. My choir is singing at the 5:00 Mass tonight, which means that we get home well after 6 and everyone is hungry for dinner right now. They don't want to wait. This can be on the table in 15 minutes if you do everything possible ahead and have your stuff ready to remove from the fridge and pop on the stove the second you get home!

SPEEDY SKILLET DINNER printable version

1 lb. lean ground beef
salt and pepper
1 TBL vegetable oil
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 onion, finely chopped (or half a large onion)
3 cups* beef broth
3 TBL* red wine
3 cups* wide egg noodles
2 TBL all-purpose flour
2 TBL butter

MAKE-AHEAD:

In a hot skillet, brown ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from skillet.

Add oil and cook mushrooms and onion until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add broth and the wine, and return beef and accumulated juices to pan. Bring to a simmer.

Remove from the stove and put in a large covered container in the fridge until you're ready to resume cooking.

JUST BEFORE DINNER:

Melt butter in skillet and stir in flour. Return beef mixture to skillet and bring to a boil. Stir noodles into beef mixture, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with a salad or "steam in a bag" vegetables.

NOTE: You can stretch this recipe by adding extra noodles, broth and wine. Just make sure that you add 1 cup broth and 1 TBL wine for every extra 1 cup noodles.

Winter Sunshine Salad

2011-04-23T20:45:00.001-04:00

My cousin Sharon shared this recipe with me. It's pretty to look at and yummy to eat! I'd recommend making the dressing first as it has to be cooked, then cooled, before using. (I'm not sure what's up with the name of this dish; maybe it's because all of the fresh ingredients are easily available in winter.)

Winter Sunshine Salad
Printable version

from For Goodness Taste by Junior League of Rochester
8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
1 package (10 ounces) frozen French-style green beans
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
1 can (16 ounces) shoe peg or white corn, drained (I used 2 11-oz cans)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green or red pepper (I used some of each)
1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimiento, drained (I left this out)

Dressing:
¾ cup vinegar
½ cup salad oil
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 to ½ cup sugar

Steam beans and peas, leaving them tender-crisp. Drain.
In a salad bowl, combine vegetables.
In a saucepan, bring dressing ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
Pour dressing over salad. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Chicken Pita Sandwiches

2011-04-23T18:42:00.001-04:00

This one was inspired by Barbara's take on a Jamie Oliver recipe. I took the meat off the kebabs, used chicken instead of pork, and omitted the pepper-relish topping. Delicious! It's a great dish to make in the summer.

CHICKEN PITA SANDWICHES
Print this recipe!

8 pita breads

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

For the marinade:
1 TBL dried mint
1 TBL dried oregano
juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup olive oil
2 TBL minced garlic from a jar
1 TBL red wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

For the tzatziki:
½ a large cucumber
6 oz. Greek yogurt (3/4 cup)
1 TBL minced garlic from a jar
1 heaped tsp dried mint
1 ½ tsp red wine vinegar

Mix marinade ingredients together. Pour over chicken strips in a ziplock bag or container. Marinate several hours.

Meanwhile, make tzatziki by coarsely grating the cucumber into a sieve set up over a bowl. Add a few good pinches of salt, then use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can. Mix cucumber with other tzatziki ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat a griddle pan over a high heat. Cook the meat on the screaming hot griddle for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally until done on all sides. Warm pitas in the oven or in a hot dry pan while chicken cooks.

Put a dollop of tzatziki and the meat on each warmed pita. Serve with raw vegetable slices.

Traveling Vegetables

2011-04-20T06:05:00.000-04:00

HELP!!!!!!!!!

We're visiting relatives about 1 1/2 hours away on Easter. I have been asked to bring homemade bread (I can do that) and vegetables.

How in the world do I bring a vegetable dish when we're traveling that far? I can put together a raw veg platter, but as for a hot vegetable dish, I'm drawing a blank.

Crock pot is a possibility. But I need ideas!

Menu Plan weeks of April 8-14 and 15-21

2011-04-17T17:35:00.000-04:00

Not the most inspired menu plan in the world...

FRIDAY 8: pizza

SATURDAY 9: chicken on the grill, pasta salad, vegetables

SUNDAY 10: we went to the diner.

MONDAY 11: Enchiladas

TUESDAY 12: Chinese buffet

WEDNESDAY 13: Skillet Turkey & Noodles

THURSDAY 14: Spaghetti

FRIDAY 15: French toast & fresh fruit

SATURDAY 16: Chicken caroline, potatoes au gratin, steamed broccoli

SUNDAY 17: "fend for yourself"

MONDAY 18: Barbara's Chicken with Paprika Sauce, noodles

TUESDAY 19: pot roast in the crockpot

WEDNESDAY 20: Paula Deen's Sesame Chicken Strips

THURSDAY 21: Spaghetti

Spices: Rack 'Em Up!

2011-04-17T16:19:00.000-04:00

I don't have a spice rack in my kitchen. For one thing, there's no counter space to put one (though I have considered a wall-mounted one, and that's not out of the question.)

For now, I've got them in dollar-store baskets in the cabinets.

I tied index cards to the baskets so I can see at a glance what spices are in which basket. That saves a lot of time when I'm gathering stuff up to cook. I don't even have them all in the same cabinet, but I think I'm going to rework that so that they're all together. (As long as I don't move my husband's coffee, no one around here cares where I put stuff in the kitchen).

I do have a couple of big containers (parsley, oregano, basil and cinnamon) on other shelves because they're too large for those baskets.

It's not the prettiest solution, but it works for now. Where do you keep your spices?

Spice It Up

2011-04-16T19:49:00.000-04:00

I was flipping through a back issue of Real Simple (which should more appropriately be titled Real Expensive) when I came to an article about how someone reorganized her kitchen. Since I'm working with a 10 X 11-foot space myself, I'm always interested in articles like that.

One of the "trouble areas" was the homeowner's spice pantry. If I had a separate little cabinet just for spices, no one would be touching it. There's never enough room for spices. But it was clear that either magazine editors or kitchen designers are not cooks, because it was mentioned that the homeowner had 23 spices. Evidently, 23 was too much.

Are they kidding me? That's not the half of what I have in my kitchen, in various baskets. In fact, I counted them all, and I've got 49 spices (not including a couple of jars of homemade spice mixes like Pumpkin Pie Mix, Taco Mix and Italian Mix.) Wait, make that 50--I forgot to count the box of Bell's Poultry Seasoning that's sitting on my kitchen windowsill.

I imagine that anyone who reads this blog also enjoys cooking. How many spices do you have? Would 23 be too much?

The Ultimate Compliment

2011-04-10T22:09:00.000-04:00

We were supposed to have Enchiladas tonight.

But TheDad decided that he wanted to go to the diner instead. And Middle Sister had gone to a friend's house.

TheDad mentioned, at dinner, that Middle Sister was waffling about whether she should even go to her friend's house, because she'd miss the enchiladas I was planning to make for dinner.

I took out my cell phone after we left the diner to let Middle Sister know that she had not missed enchiladas. Tomorrow, after all, is another day.

Now that's a compliment--that a kid thinks twice about visiting a friend because a favorite meal is going to be served at home.

Menu Plan week of April 1-7

2011-04-09T14:40:00.000-04:00

Friday 1: Crab Mac 'n Cheese

Saturday 2: Leftovers

Sunday 3: Cast party after the school play

Monday 4: Lemon Mushroom Herb Chicken, rice, corn. I did the chicken in bite-size pieces this time and it was fabulous!

Tuesday 5: Skillet Beef & Noodles (we skip the sour cream & lemon in this stroganoff recipe)

Wednesday 6: Pork Roast with Orange Pan Sauce, red potatoes and carrots

Thursday 7: Spaghetti & meatballs

Mac 'n Cheese with Crab

2011-04-09T14:25:00.002-04:00

Inspired by a recipe by The Barefoot Contessa, this is my low-rent but very delicious version!

1/2 pound small shell macaroni (elbows or cavatappi also work)
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 ounces Swiss cheese, grated (2 cups)
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (1 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tbl kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 packet imitation crab meat (6 oz) (I'm sure real would work if you have it)
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Cook pasta as directed on the package.

Heat milk in a small saucepan, making sure not to boil it. Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy pan. Whisk in flour and then the hot milk and cook until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, pepper, salt and nutmeg. Stir until combined. Add in crabmeat and pasta, and stir until well coated.

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish and pour in the pasta mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 375 or until the sauce is bubbly and the casserole is browned on top.

This is great with a salad and crusty bread!

This dish could be made ahead and refrigerated before the baking step. Add at least 15 minutes to cook time if baking from refrigerated.

Roast Pork with Orange Pan Sauce

2011-04-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

I recently came across this recipe that I'd ripped out of an old magazine. I have no idea what magazine it's from, as there's no identifying information on the recipe (other than it's page 227). As usual, I made a couple of changes, so here's the recipe as I made it. It's delicious!

ROAST PORK WITH ORANGE PAN SAUCE
Print this recipe!
Serves 4.

2-lb boneless pork-loin roast, trimmed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBL butter
6 to 8 small red potatoes, cut in half
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
2 TBL olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp dried sage
1 TBL cornstarch

Rub pork with salt and pepper. Saute in melted butter in a large skillet, searing on each side. Transfer to roasting pan and reserve pan juices in the skillet.

In a large bowl, toss potatoes, carrots and onions with olive oil and salt. Place in roasting pan around the pork.

Roast 55 to 65 minutes at 375 until meat thermometer registers 160. Allow meat to rest 15 minutes before slicing. While meat rests, make the pan sauce:

Heat skillet containing pan juices. Add broth, mustard, orange juice, sage and cornstarch. Stir with a whisk until everything is blended and thickened. Serve sauce over sliced pork roast.

IN A NESCO ROASTER (6-qt): Preheat to 400. After adding meat and vegetables, turn down to 325. Bake as directed above. Use a meat thermometer to ensure doneness.

Product Review: Purex Complete with Zout

2011-04-04T11:03:00.002-04:00

I've been a fan of both Purex laundry detergent and Zout pre-treater for years. Little Brother is nine years old and it doesn't look like he's going to be giving up his messy ways anytime soon.

When you're this muddy, you know it's been a good day.

I was happy to try new Purex Complete with Zout. It's got detergent and stain remover in one! And since I'm fragrance-sensitive, I tried the "free and clear" version of this product. (It also comes in Fresh Morning Burst scent).

This detergent is designed to work in ALL washing machines, regular and high-efficiency. And my experience proves that it does work. It took care of the muddy knees of Little Brother's school uniform pants as well as food drips (chocolate ice cream and tomato sauce were no match for this detergent.)

I also tried it as a pre-treater on a few stains I thought would require extra attention. I poured a little bit of Purex Complete with Zout directly on the stains, rubbed it in, let it sit a few minutes and then washed as usual. Success!

You don't have to buy expensive detergent to get great results. Purex works great on the stains my family dishes out.

Disclaimer: This post is part of the Purex Insiders Blogging program. I received a full-size bottle of Purex Complete with Zout, but no other compensation, for the purposes of this post. The opinions expressed in this post are my own, and this is a product that I continue to use in my home.

April Fool's Day Lunchbox Surprise

2011-04-01T07:36:00.002-04:00

I got this idea from a Family Fun article.

Your kids will think it's an ordinary bag of cheese puffs...

but when they open the bag, they'll discover:

baby carrots!

All you need to pull this off is:
individual-serving-size bags of cheese puffs
baby carrots (about 6 for each bag you're making)
glue stick
slip of paper with the note: "April Fool!"

Open the snack bags carefully. Dump the contents of the cheese-puff bags into a sandwich bag. No sense wasting a perfectly delicious snack! Use a damp paper towel to pick up any crumbs left in the bag. Add about 6 baby carrots--and don't forget the note! Then run the glue stick along the very top inner edge of the bag. Press to seal, and pack in the lunchbox!

I wish I'd be able to be there when my kids find these.

UPDATE: My daughter just found hers when she opened her lunch. I got a text message: "Mom this is just gross. I mean carrots? In cheesecrunchy bag?" (For the record, she likes carrots. It's not like I put in her most un-favorite food ever.) She's threatening revenge.
And Little Brother never noticed: he gave his snack to another kid who had forgotten to bring a snack. And she never said a word. (Kind of disappointing, really!)

March Cookie Carnival: Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal Cookies

2011-03-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

With a name like that, how wrong could you go with this recipe? Answer: there's nothing wrong at ALL here--just plenty of deliciousness. It's one of the selections for the March Cookie Carnival, hosted at Tami's Kitchen Table Talk.

I tried this recipe today, since I needed some cookies to bring to a school event. The only change I made was to omit the nuts, as nut allergy can be an issue in large groups. Next time I make these cookies, I WILL add nuts. I'm thinking chopped hazelnuts would be awesome in this recipe.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE OATMEAL COOKIES

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons (1 stick) margarine or butter, softened (I used butter)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup chopped nuts

Preparation
In large bowl, beat cream cheese, margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add combined flour and baking soda; mix well. Add oats and nuts; mix well. Cover; chill at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (I'm not sure why 3 inches apart--mine didn't spread much at all.)

Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until cookies are almost set. (Centers should still be moist. Do not overbake.) Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

NOTE: I'd recommend using "quick" oats, as the old-fashioned oats are rather large pieces, and they do "show" in the finished product. It's more a visual thing than anything else, as the taste will be the same no matter what.

Also, I chilled the dough overnight in a glass bowl, and it was very hard to work with at that point. Even after it was out of the fridge for an hour, it was quite cold.

These were a big hit with me and my kids. Little Brother thought they'd be even more delicious with sprinkles. (Of course, he thinks anything would be more delicious with sprinkles.)

Asian Green Beans and Sort-of-Spicy Orange Chicken

2011-03-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

Cheaper than takeout and very easy! This made enough for 2. Double everything except the sauce to feed 4--there was plenty of sauce for the chicken.

ASIAN GREEN BEANS

1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed
Ice water
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds

Blanch green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water until ready to use (this can be done ahead of time).
Heat olive oil in a skillet large enough for the beans to lie in a single layer. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger 2 minutes. Add beans, soy sauce and water. Stir to coat. Cook 2 minutes. Drizzle sesame oil over beans and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Stir-fry 2 minutes.

SORT-OF-SPICY ORANGE CHICKEN

(Add a little hot chili oil if you want more of a kick.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup flour
3 TBL olive oil

SAUCE:
1/4 cup molasses
1 TBL soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TBL Asian chili sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Coat chicken in flour and saute in olive oil, in batches so you don't crowd the skillet. When all the chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet and add the sauce to the skillet. Cook sauce until it thickens and bubbles. Add chicken to sauce, stirring to coat, and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve with rice.

40 Days of Soup--and More!

2011-03-23T11:53:00.000-04:00

My Chicken Fajita Soup recipe has been published in Ave Maria Press's 40 Days of Soup feature! Check out all the great soup recipes, one for each day of Lent. There are also daily reflections from Ave Maria Press's vast library of Lenten resources. Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

2011-03-19T18:28:00.000-04:00

I got this recipe from Tami, and tweaked it a bit. It's delicious! A lot of prep work, which is why I avoid making lasagna, but a foil pan means no cleanup afterward.

1 lb lasagna noodles, cooked, drained, rinsed and set aside.
1 lb ground beef
1 medium-sized onion
1/2 can EACH corn and black beans, drained & rinsed (freeze the rest for the next time you make this!)
3 cups shredded "Mexican blend" cheese (not the kind with seasoning added)
1 10-oz tub Philly Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme
16 oz mild salsa
1 8-oz can tomato sauce

While lasagna noodles are cooking, brown the beef and onion together. Drain it and return to the skillet. Stir in the Philly cooking creme until well mixed.

Mix salsa and tomato sauce in a measuring cup with spout (for easy pouring).

Spread some of the salsa mixture on the bottom of a lasagna pan. I used a foil pan set on a cookie sheet to support the bottom of the pan.

Keep in mind, as you add the fillings,
Be careful not to overload the noodles. These are thin layers of all of the fillings. (Thanks for that tip, Tami! I would have had to learn it the hard way if you hadn't mentioned it.)

Layer in this order:
Noodles
Cheese
Meat
Corn & beans
Noodles
Salsa
Meat
Corn & beans
Cheese
Noodles
Salsa
Meat
Corn & beans
Cheese
Noodles
Salsa
Cheese

Bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes. After removing from oven, allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

March 2011: A Month of Menus

2011-03-19T16:47:00.001-04:00

Tues 1: Skillet Turkey & Noodles

Wed 2: Roast chicken, potatoes, green beans amandine

Thurs 3: Chinese roast pork, rice, Asian vegetable blend

Fri 4: pizza

Sat 5: birthday party for Little Brother. Spaghetti & meatballs, rolls, chili (my best batch ever--I used 4 kinds of beans: pink, red, black and pinto)

Sun 6: Chicken piccata

Mon 7: Father Leo's fajitas

Tues 8: Beef paysanne, noodles, broccoli

Wed 9: tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches

Thurs 10: Spaghetti

Fri 11: pizza

Sat 12: corned beef & cabbage at my parents' house

Sun 13: birthday party for a neighbor

Mon 14: "Grandpa's Dark Meat Chicken"

Tues 15: Chicken piccata bites, rice, broccoli

Wed 16: Corned beef in the slow cooker

Thurs 17: Spaghetti & meatballs

Fri 18: pizza

Sat 19: Mexican lasagna

Sun 20: takeout

Mon 21: Leftovers TECH WEEK: I'm serving dinner with the other Stage Mothers to the cast, crew and orchestra of the high school play. Only TheDad and I will be eating at home.

Tues 22: Dinner at the diner with TheDad.

Wed 23: Sort-of-Spicy Orange Chicken and Asian Green Beans. Only TheDad and I will be eating at home.

Thurs 24: BBQ chicken pizza. Only TheDad and I will be eating at home.

Fri 25: TECH WEEK: I'm serving dinner with the other Stage Mothers to the cast, crew and orchestra of the high school play. Dinner out with TheDad afterwards.

Sat 26: Shrimp Scampi with linguine

Sun 27: Tandoori Chicken

Mon 28: Leftovers! TECH WEEK: I'm serving dinner with the other Stage Mothers to the cast, crew and orchestra of the high school play. Only TheDad and I will be eating at home.

Tues 29: More leftovers! TECH WEEK: I'm serving dinner with the other Stage Mothers to the cast, crew and orchestra of the high school play. Only TheDad and I will be eating at home.

Wed 30: Chicken piccata bites, rice, broccoli

Thurs 31: Spaghetti & meatballs

Corned Beef in the Slow Cooker

2011-03-17T08:04:00.001-04:00

Hands down, this is the easiest way to cook corned beef, and the results are tender and delicious. I got this recipe from Living Rich with Coupons but changed a couple of things to reflect our personal preferences. Recipe below is as I made it.

1 corned beef, about 2 1/2 lb.
1 bottle beer (I used Sam Adams)
1 onion, sliced
a handful of baby carrots
water to cover

Put onion slices and carrots in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place corned beef on top of the vegetables. Discard the seasoning packet. Pour beer over top, then add water until it is almost covering the meat.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. I cooked it for 9 1/2 and the meat was beautifully done. Remove the meat and let it rest, covered with foil, for about 15 minutes before slicing.

I prefer to cook the cabbage separately as I don't like the flavor of cabbage cooked in beer. So I just boil cabbage wedges in a pot on the stove for about an hour.

Pantry FAIL is a WIN

2011-03-16T18:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight I served Corned Beef & Cabbage, because I don't like to serve it on St. Patrick's Day if I can avoid it. My grandmother always asserted that corned beef is NOT Irish food. But it's cheap this time of year, and I really want to try to make some Corned Beef Hash with the leftovers.

Besides, if I don't serve spaghetti on Thursdays, my children get really bent out of shape.

Anyway, I put the corned beef in the slow cooker this morning and went off to school where I spent the day substitute teaching. It was beautifully done after 9 1/2 hours.

The potatoes were not so beautiful. They were sprouting and kind of soft. So I got rid of the potatoes, but what else do you serve with corned beef and cabbage? Checking the pantry, I found my "emergency" box of instant mashed potatoes. Yukon Gold, even.

I told the kids that the potatoes wouldn't need additional salt. My daughter saw the box and said, "You expect me to eat fake potatoes? I thought I was raised better than that."

None of us could manage more than a single forkful of the potatoes. But the corned beef was delicious.

Coming Right Up

2011-03-13T20:52:00.000-04:00

I will get to the menu plan for March. This March is a weird month--at least it will end oddly. Beginning NEXT Monday, my kids will be eating at the high school for more than a week as they prepare for the school's spring musical. The Play Parents (or as I call them, not disparagingly as I'm part of this group this year, the Stage Mothers,) provide dinner for the entire cast, crew and orchestra for about 10 days during Tech Week.

There are themed meals; parents donate food, labor and time. I'll be bringing part of the dinner each night and serving, cooking and cleaning up for 4 of those nights. It's going to be weird not to cook at home, but this is a nice time for the kids involved in the play to bond with each other over a meal and a common goal. (They also have a Mass on either the Saturday or Sunday during play weekend--it's a Catholic school; they are making sure the kids can get to church even though they are spending lots of time with the play.)

Today my neighbors had a party for their daughter and I wound up with a lot of turkey leftovers. (Long story. We got lots and lots and lots of Dark Meat Turkey. It was a small price to pay for donating the use of my oven to cook it.) I'll freeze some, but some of it is going to show up this week in our dinners. good thing I've got a nice big list of things I can make with turkey!

Product Review: Purex Complete Crystals Fabric Softener

2011-03-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

I'm a longtime fan of Purex laundry detergent, but I figured that they had their work cut out for them when they asked me to review the newest addition to the Purex product line: Purex Complete Crystals Fabric Softener. You see, I don't usually use liquid fabric softener in the wash, preferring to use a dryer sheet. This is fine in winter when I'm using the dryer for most of the laundry, but now that the weather is getting warmer, I'm bringing more clothes outside to hang on the clothesline. Fresh air is great for laundry, and a spring breeze dries the clothes quickly, but they also turn stiff as a board if you haven't added fabric softener to the wash. My children are not fans of rock-hard T-shirts.

Unlike other fabric softeners, these crystals are not oil-based, and they don't have to be added at a different point in the washing cycle. Purex Complete Crystals can safely be used on things that traditional fabric softeners shouldn't be used on: towels, athletic clothing, and infants' and children's sleepwear.

I tried the Purex Complete Crystals in three different ways: in a load of laundry that was hung on the line, in a load of laundry that included towels, and in a third load that was dried in the dryer without a dryer sheet. While I didn't notice any difference in softness vs. using a dryer sheet with the laundry, the big difference came when I took the clothes outside. The line-dried load was much softer than my usual results from line-drying.

Purex Complete Crystals come in three scents. I tried the Fresh Spring Waters scent. My husband and I both thought that the scent was quite strong--even after line-drying the clothes. Normally I use unscented detergent and dryer sheets, so we are not used to scent on our clothing. My daughter, who loves perfumes of all kinds, thought the scent was terrific.

To learn more about Purex Complete Crystals and how they work, visit the Purex website.

I reviewed this product as part of the Purex Insider Program. I received a product sample and a coupon for a free full-size product as the sole compensation for my review.

Taco Taco Taco

2011-02-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

The last time I made Enchiladas, I was thinking how good the meat-and-Rotel mixture would taste as a soft taco.

3/4 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon adobo without pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can (10-oz) Rotel

Brown ground beef, onion, adobo and pepper in skillet. Drain. Stir in the Rotel. Simmer 10 minutes and serve with your favorite taco fixings.

No "taco seasoning" required! It's not a traditional taco, but it's really good.

For a party: Triple the recipe. Cook as described above. After stirring in the Rotel, transfer to a slow cooker. Cook on "Low" for an hour and then switch to "Warm" if you have that setting.

Cub Scout Blue & Gold Dinner

2011-02-26T06:51:00.002-05:00

For the second year in a row, I'm catering the Cub Scout Blue & Gold Dinner. No, I'm not a caterer--I'm just Mrs. Cubmaster. But I certainly know how to make spaghetti and meatballs, and that's what we're having. It's easy, it's kid-friendly, and you can get some of it done ahead of time.

I was kicking myself earlier this week because I didn't save the papers last year where I calculated how much of everything I would need. Last year we had about 65 people at the Blue & Gold. Today we're expecting 103. Fortunately our parish center, where we host this event, has a fully-equipped kitchen, but there is stuff that I make sure to bring with me. I already spoke to the business manager and she offered us the use of certain staples like salt & pepper, sugar, tea bags, so we saved money there.

Little Brother has two more years in Cub Scouts, so I figured it would be a good idea to write down what--and how much--we used, to make it easier for next year.

We've also learned from some mistakes. Last year we made this dinner "semi-potluck." I made the spaghetti and meatballs. We bought the bread at a local bakery--their bread is amazing AND they give us a special price because we're a Scout troop. And we divided the rest among the Cub Scouts. One den brought beverages, another brought salad, two more brought desserts, and I can't remember what the last assignment was. That semi-potluck thing didn't work out well at all. We ran out of salad with the first 20 people, and I had to send my teenagers to ShopRite to get more soda.

This year we decided to charge $3 per person for the dinner, and each family was to bring a dessert to share. That $3 per person would cover the rest of it.

How did I do on budget this year? Well, I've spent about $300 and didn't even get to the bakery yet. I'll be a little over budget, but I had to buy things like plastic forks--those come in a box of 400 or so; we'll have forks for the next few events. I'm not going to ask the Scouts to give me back more than we take in, so the rest will just be a donation.

I worry a bit about quantity since last year we had quite a few "walk-ins." So I want to make sure I have extra food on hand just in case. I'll keep a few pounds of uncooked pasta ready to go in case we need to quickly make more.

A note about pasta: I say "spaghetti" but I'm really serving penne. It's much easier for young kids to handle this shape, and it's easier for the cooks as well (spaghetti sometimes slides through the colander holes when you drain it and makes a mess in the sink).

20 pounds of meat gets you about 320 meatballs. Yes, I rolled 320 meatballs last night. Little Brother helped a bit. I made him wear gloves! He loved it--he was busy squishing and mixing the meatballs, saying "This is SO 'Dirty Jobs'!" TheDad got home when we had about 3 pounds of mix to go, so he helped with the last bit as well.

Here's my shopping list:
24 pounds pasta, which may not be enough, so I'm going to get 4 or 5 more pounds just in case
20 lb. ground beef (80% lean)
92-oz. bread crumbs (I have about 2 cups left)
20 eggs (I donated these)
2 110-oz cans tomato paste
12 28-oz cans tomato puree
12 29-oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 bottle each "dollar section spices"--garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, crushed red pepper, oregano, basil (I expect to only have crushed red pepper left after I make the sauce)
24 oz olive oil
large can of Kraft parmesan cheese
12 lb. bagged salad
3 large seedless cucumbers
3 pints grape tomatoes
1 large bag croutons
4 pints ranch dressing
4 pints Italian dressing

Here's my nonfoods list:
tablecloths for round tables--a BIG expense; these things are $3 EACH!
heavy-duty paper plates (we like Chinet)
cake plates
bowls for salad
forks
knives
spoons
table napkins (2 bags of 250)
roll of paper towels
extension cords--heavy duty (all that I can round up!)
kitchen sponge (I like to bring a fresh one since the ones in the kitchen are usually icky)
dish soap (just in case--there will most likely be some there)
my apron
oven mitts
scissors
masking tape
Sharpie
index cards (for labeling which coffeepot has decaf, among other things)
Sterno for chafing dishes
camera

Beverages:
2 lb. coffee (not sure how much I will actually use)
2 lb. decaf
1 38-qt iced tea mix
2 gallons Boost (a local favorite--this will make 10 gallons)
ice water will also be available
hot tea (the parish center has tea bags so I don't have to bring any)
4 qts. half & half

Here's the proportions for making meatballs:
For each 1 lb. of ground beef (or meatloaf mix), add:
1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp basil

That will get you about 16 golf-ball size meatballs. Place on a baking sheet, allowing some room in between. I cover the sheet in foil for easy cleanup! Bake 20 minutes at 400.

Here's how I keep the pasta hot:
Cook pasta as usual. Pour a couple of TBL oil in the bottom of chafing-dish pans. Place cooked pasta in pans. Pour a little more oil over the top, toss, and cover. Keep warm in warm (200 degrees) oven or over chafing dish.

Play Time!

2011-02-21T17:12:00.000-05:00

It's going to get crazy for the next 6 weeks: it's spring musical time at my daughter's high school. Even though I only have one child in high school, two of my children are participating in the musical. The school is doing The Wizard of Oz, and they've welcomed about 20 elementary-school students to perform as well as the 95 high-school students who are in the play.

My daughter also runs track, so she gets home around 5. She has to be back at school for play practice from 6:30 to 9, along with her little brother. Normally we don't eat dinner much before 6:30 because of my husband's work schedule and long commute.

So we'll have to do some shuffling around here. The slow cooker is going to be my best friend on play-practice nights, and it's a good bet that I'll have to keep a plate of dinner warm for Dad, since the kids have to eat before play practice. It's a good thing that the high school is only 5 minutes away. During Tech Week, the cast and crew arrives at 5 and the Stage Mothers provide dinner for them. I'll be a Stage Mother this year and am looking forward to that.

My reward for spending a chunk of my evenings shuttling my kids back and forth to school is that it's going to be nice and quiet around here for a couple of hours each evening. Ahhhhh!

Cookie Carnival: Vanilla Shortbread

2011-02-19T16:09:00.000-05:00

My friend Tami hosts the Cookie Carnival each month, and it looked like a lot of fun--so I decided to play along too. It's easy to do; you just contact Tami and she'll send you the two recipes chosen for the month. Then you bake, photograph, taste-test and post about it!

I chose the Vanilla Shortbread Hearts recipe because the other recipe contained ingredients that I didn't already have around the house!

The cookies turned out delicious, but they were really work-intensive. I love cookies, but I don't like doing cut-out cookies. I'm a "drop and go" kind of girl when it comes to cookies.

I made two changes to the recipe, neither one of which really makes a big difference in the outcome. I couldn't get raspberry jam so I used blackberry. And I couldn't find my tiny heart-shaped cookie cutter, so I made vanilla shortbread stars instead.

I think that 13 minutes might be a little too long to bake these. I'd recommend checking them after 11 minutes.

All in all, they tasted good, but I doubt I'll make them again. These are not a cookie my kids would want to eat.

Honey Mustard Pork Chops

2011-02-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

Here's an easy way to make juicy baked pork chops. Since you bake them in a foil packet, clean-up is really easy.

HONEY MUSTARD PORK CHOPS

4 center-cut boneless pork chops (you can use bone-in but add at least 10 minutes to cooking time)
1 TBL olive oil
2 TBL honey mustard
Garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350.
Line a 9X13 baking pan with foil, leaving enough overlap so you can close the foil over the top of the pan.
Brush the bottom of the lined pan with olive oil. Place pork chops in a single layer in the pan.
Spread honey mustard over the top of the pork chops. Sprinkle garlic powder and pepper on each.
Top the pork chops with the sliced onions.
Close the foil so the pan is covered tightly.
Bake 45 minutes.

Super Pizza Bites

2011-02-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

On Super Bowl Sunday, we tried Tami's recipe for Pizza Bites.

I changed it up a bit, since I don't have refrigerated pizza dough around. I also added pepperoni to some. Here's how I made them:

DOUGH:
1 cup water
1 1/2 tbl butter or olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast

Place in the bread machine and use the dough cycle. At the end of the cycle, remove the dough to a floured surface. Allow it to rest 10 minutes before rolling it out into a large rectangle.

Cut the dough into squares (I got about 28 squares out of this batch of dough) and put a slice of pepperoni on each. Top with a bit of shredded cheese. Tami used sliced mozzarella sticks, which was a good idea. In the future I think I will just buy a block of mozzarella and cut it into small cubes. Pick up each square and "bundle it up" so that the seams are all closed. Place seam-side down into an oiled cake pan.

TOPPING:
2 TBL melted butter
1 TBL Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder

Brush butter over tops of the pizza bites. Sprinkle seasoning and garlic on top.

Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Pizza bites should be lightly brown.

Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

A Whole Pan of Tea

2011-02-12T14:37:00.000-05:00

My neighbor has this lovely wooden box in which she keeps tea bags. Her dad made it for her, and it's a beautiful storage space.

I like to keep a variety of tea around as well, but I don't have a lovely wooden box to keep it in. And a wooden box wouldn't necessarily work for me; because some of the tea I enjoy comes in untagged, unwrapped bags, I'd have a lovely wooden box full of Mystery Tea if I just dumped it all in there.

How would I be able to tell the Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger from the Bewley's Irish Breakfast?

I have a couple of glass jars on my counter where I keep black tea. The small jar is for decaf tea and the larger one is for regular. Only unflavored black tea goes in these jars, so it doesn't matter if brands are mixed up.

Beyond that, my cabinet was getting overrun with boxes of delicious-flavored tea bags. Chai, Zinger, and Bengal Spice boxes were everywhere. And being ~~short~~ vertically challenged, I had a hard time reaching the tea that was on the back of even the lowest shelf.

So I found a way to repurpose a baking pan. A 9X13 baking pan is the perfect size to hold several boxes of tea. I've got plenty of 9X13 pans in varying conditions--so I used one that's a little past its prime, a little scratched and battered, to hold my tea bags. Tea bags don't care if the pan is no longer completely "nonstick." I can keep my tea-bag pan on the second shelf or even the top shelf; when I want a cup of tea, all I have to do is reach up and slide the whole pan out. It's neat. It's tidy. It didn't cost me anything. Win!