Wednesday, 3/31/2010

First of all, Happy 30th Birthday to my brother Matt!

And now, onto dinner. Surprise, surprise, we had leftover Chicken Carbonara. Still not enough sauce, but tasty just the same. Thankfully Katie enjoyed it more tonight than she did last night. She ate several rounds of chicken and peas. She seemed to have a hard time with the spaghetti. Perhaps it was a bit too al dente for her. Anyway, she choked on it and then started throwing it on the floor. A clear sign she was done with it.

Katie has taken to dinner theater. Check out her story telling skills in this cute video.

Tuesday, 3/30/2010

CHICKEN CARBONARA
from Cuisine At Home- Weeknight Menus

Whisk Together:
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Saute:
1/2 lb. thick-slicked bacon, diced

Add & Saute:
1 lb. chicken tenders, seasoned with salt & pepper
(I used whole chicken breasts, cut them into tender sizes and pounded them until they were flat and about a 1/2 inch thick)

Deglaze & Reduce:
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Cook; Drain with:
12 ounces dry spaghetti
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.
Whisk together Parmesan, eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Saute bacon in a large saute pan until crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate; pour off all but 1 T. drippings.
Add chicken; saute 4 minutes per side; transfer to the plate with the bacon.
Deglaze the pan with wine, broth, and juice, scraping up any bits on the bottom. Reduce by half, 2-3 minutes.
Cook spaghetti in boiling water, stirring often. Drain pasta into a colander with the frozen peas. Shake pasta to remove excess water. Combine the bacon, chicken, and wine mixture with the egg mixture. Add hot pasta and toss to coat.
Serve immediately.

This was my first time making carbonara with this recipe. It's a keeper. Usually when I make spaghetti carbonara no peas or chicken are included; I liked the change. Other than using a different cut of chicken (noted in the recipe), I followed the directions exactly. The next time I make it, I will half the spaghetti. Both Ben and I would have liked more sauce.

Katie was a light eater tonight, only having a few peas and a little chicken. I bet she will like the leftovers tomorrow night.

Here's a photo of the cooked, crispy bacon. Just for fun!

Monday, 3/29/2010

GRILLED PORK CHOPS

2 boneless porkchops about 1/2" thick
Liberally coat with Char Crust- Roasted Garlic Peppercorn
Spritz lightly with non-stick spray to keep the crust from burning

Grill on Direct Medium








ASPARAGUS with SHERRY-BACON VINAIGRETTE
from Weber's Real Grilling

1/4 pound bacon
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus
thinly sliced red onion (optional ingredient that I never add)

In medium skillet over medium heat, lay the bacon in a single layer and cook until crispy, 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain the bacon on paper towels, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat and return the skillet over medium heat. Add the thyme and garlic to the skillet and let them sizzle for about 10 seconds. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper, and then remove the skillet from the heat.

Remove and discard the tough bottom of each asparagus spear- cut or snap at natural breaking point. Put asparagus in a dish, pour the vinaigrette over the asparagus, and turn to coat evenly.

Finely chop the drained bacon.

Grill the asparagus over Direct Medium heat until browned in spots but not charred, 6-8 minutes, turning them occasionally. Plate the asparagus on a platter or plates and sprinkle with bacon. This is where you would add the red onions, if you like that kind of thing.

This asparagus dish is really easy to make and tastes delicious! Anytime bacon is added to vegetables I am happy:) I like that it cooks at the same grill settings as the pork chops. We found the Char Crust dry-rub seasoning a couple months ago and LOVE it. It doesn't look very pretty, but it does seal in the juices as it's marketing promotes. We've had it on steak, chicken, and pork. All have been great. And, I am really please with how many meals we have been able to make with just one package. I think this was our 4th time and there is still enough for at least 2 more meals.

Katie started her meal with raspberry pear yogurt. By the time she was done with that the grill work was done. She enjoyed asparagus tips and pork with us and then had to finish off with...cheese:)

Sunday, 3/28/2010

After last night's gnocchi fiasco, we went super simple tonight: Hillshire Farms Hot and Spicy Italian Style Smoked Sausages grilled. Ben chose barbeque sauce for dipping, I dipped in ketchup, and Katie had her sausage plain. We had a banana and mandarin orange fruit salad on the side.

I'll try to remember to take more photos in the coming weeks.

Saturday, 3/27/2010

GNOCCHI with THYME BUTTER

A week ago I decided to make this recipe to take with us to our monthly church potluck group, The Crockpots. Just in case you don't know, gnocchi is a potato dumpling often used as a pasta. It came from the Taste of Home magazine and seemed simple enough. Other than the potato ricer we had to buy, the only ingredients I didn't already have on hand were potatoes and fresh thyme. Well, it may have sounded simple, but it wasn't.

First of all, the timing for prep was all off. The recipe said to cook the potatoes for 15-20 minutes. Try 25. And then after draining the potatoes, the recipe said it would take 1-2 minutes to let the steam evaporate from the pot over low heat. Try 8 minutes and still steaming. It was very labor intensive to roll the dough out into 1/2 inch ropes, cut the individual dumplings, reshaped them into something that looked like gnocchi and boil in small batches. It took WAY more time than I planned for. We were late.

The thyme butter was easy to make: 1 stick of butter and 4 tsp of fresh thyme leaves. The idea was to melt the butter and add in the cooked gnocchi and thyme, stirring gently to coat the gnocchi. Unfortunately my gnocchi didn't keep their shape and ended up smooshing as I stirred. Looked and tasted a bit like herbed mashed potatoes.

Since we signed up to take a main dish to the potluck and our gnocchi dish was more like mashed potatoes, we decided to do what any good potluckers would do. We stopped at KFC for a bucket of fried chicken on our way. It was delicious and was enjoyed by toddlers, kids, and adults alike. We did take the gnocchi and it was eaten, but it wasn't a dish I was proud of. I won't give up on it yet. Maybe next time I'll watch a tutorial online and/or try a different recipe.

On a positive note, the potato ricer worked great! Now it's time for kitchen clean up. Lots of dishes, pots and pans were required for this not-so-great dish.

Friday, 3/26/2010

Tonight each of us ate a completely different meal. This rarely happens. The founder of Ben's company passed away this month at the age of 92. The company hosted a gathering at the Maritime Event Center on the Seattle waterfront to honor him. Ben came home and told me he had the best chicken skewers with peanut sauce that he's had in his life. He also enjoyed kobe beef sliders with a horseradish/mustard sauce and a gin and tonic.

Katie ate like a champion for dinner. She finished off the jar of peas and brown rice puree, downed a jar of tender chicken and stars, and wrapped up the meal with monteray jack cheese. She had a few green beans too, but as soon as she realized she could squish them in her fingers, they stopped being food and became a toy. I am pleased to say she continued to show off her milk drinking skills at her meals today. Way to stick with it Katie!

I procrastinated about what to eat for dinner myself. After considering peanut butter and apple slices or a grilled cheese sandwich, I decided to cook up some penne and mix it with store bought pesto. When I buy pasta, I most commonly get Dreamfields. It is marketed as a low-carb pasta. My diet isn't low carb these days, but the pasta tastes good and can't hurt:) The pesto was not very good on it's own, a little sweeter than I prefer. Thankfully the parmesan and romano cheese I added corrected the sweetness. Quite a tasty pasta dish in the end with a slice of garlic bread on the side.

Oh, and I am drinking my first glass of wine in over a week. I had a stomach bug 9 days ago and the last thing I put into my stomach was red wine. It's taken me this long to want to drink it again. I chose a 2007 Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah from California. A wonderful way to end the day.

Thursday, 3/25/2010

We try to keep several staples on hand at all times from Costco: ground beef, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, tuna fish, chocolate chips, and beer battered halibut. Tonight we had halibut and a simple fruit salad of bananas, kiwi, and mandarin oranges.

I cook the fish for 22 minutes, 11 minutes on each side, so that it is a bit crispy on the outside. For dipping sauce, Ben mixes Spicy Cajun Catsup from Oregon Flavor Rack with mayo. I choose to mix regular ketchup with mayo and a couple dashes of worchestershire sauce.

The halibut comes frozen, 2 pieces per serving. I've started to cook an extra piece for Katie. In the past she has eaten 1/2 of a piece. Tonight she ate the whole thing, minus a few crispies which I gladly ate:) She must have been hungry, because she ate it plus a whole cup of baby yogurt, half a jar of peas and brown rice puree, and a few orange segments.

The best part of the meal was when she decided she no longer needed us to hold the milk glass for her. She grabbed the glass right out of Ben's hands and gulped it down. What a big girl:)

Wednesday, 3/24/2010

Left over beef burritos tonight. Katie had some of the taco meat, a jar of Earth's Best Chicken and Brown Rice puree, and cheddar cheese.

We are getting pretty tired of her throwing her food off the high chair tray. It seems to happen when we aren't giving her the attention she wants, she doesn't want to eat what we've given her, or she is ready to be done. Sometimes she teases us and hangs a hand full of food over the edge of the tray and then smiles and eats it. Other times, it might as well be a one sided food fight. Hopefully this is a phase that will end when she can talk more.

Tuesday, 3/23/2010

SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN

½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1/3 cup unsalted cocktail peanuts

1. Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper.
2. Heat 12-inch skillet (or if you’re advanced, a wok) over high heat. Add oil, and stir-fry chicken, garlic, and gingerroot until chicken is done (about 3 minutes).
3. Add bell pepper to chicken and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
4. Add cornstarch mixture to chicken. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Stir in peanuts.
5. Serve over white rice.

For years I made white rice by using 2 parts water, 1 part rice. And then I saw a recipe where you saute minced garlic in a little vegetable oil in your pot until fragrant, and then add the rice and let it get a little opaque. Add chicken stock instead of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. The result is much more flavorful rice that doesn't dry out as much.

Dessert- simply Nestle's toll house cookies. The only things I do differently is that I add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients, put in 2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips instead of just 2, and leave out the nuts. Also, I find that bringing the eggs and butter to room temperature makes the cookies bake more evenly.

This recipe was one Ben adapted from a cookbook years ago. Tonight we made it for my friend Elly. Elly and I are planning a bridal shower for our friend Lauren. Katie scarfed the rice and only had a little of the red pepper and chicken. She was far more interested in hollaring at us to pay attention to her. Now, the chocolate chip cookies were a different matter. She couldn't get enough! Back and forth to Ben and I for nibbles;)

Monday, 3/22/2010

BEEF BURRITOS

1 pound of very lean ground beef
1 1/2 packages of Lawry's taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
Cheddar cheese- shredded
Pico Pica Real Mexican Style Hot Sauce
Mission Carb Balance whole wheat tortillas

Brown beef in skillet, add seasoning and water and cook per seasoning instructions. Roll beef, cheddar, and hot sauce in tortilla. Nuke in the microwave for 45 seconds or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Although margaritas usually sound good with mexican food, we opted for flavored, carbonated water. Katie had a little cheese and meat, but decided the tortilla was better on the floor than in her mouth.

Here we go!

During dinner Ben and I frequently pass judgement on our meals. You might hear us say "we could definitely serve that meal to company", "that was disappointing", or "perfect, hit the spot". It is easy to get in a food prep rut and not try new things. So, I decided to keep a blog, if only just for myself, to keep track of what we have prepared for our dinner meal. Maybe this will help me remember what those "definitely serve that meal to company" dishes were when it comes time to actually have company:)