July 20, 2011- Impossible Taco Pie

Our church is a sponsor of Family Promise, an organization which helps homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence.  This week we hosted a family of 7-- mom, dad, 4-yr-old girl, 3-yr-old boy, 1-yr-old boy, and twin 2-month olds.  I cannot even imagine having that many children, let alone having them all under the age of 4 and without a home to take care of them in.  This family from Eritrea, a country just North of Ethiopia, was very happy and friendly, despite their difficult situation. I have to admit that I had not heard of the country before this week.  

Katie and I, along with our friend Nancy and her niece, provided dinner for this family at the church tonight.  I made two Impossible Taco Pies.  The five adults and four children consumed 1.5 of the pies I made.  Guess what Katie and I will be eating tomorrow night? :)  Nancy made a wonderful salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds (also called pepita), avocados, and peaches.  The dressing for the salad was delicious too, but I can't tell you what it was made of.  She also made a divine chocolate cake with fresh ginger in it.  Topped with fresh, homemade whipped cream, that cake was a winner. 

After the meal concluded, the kids ran around, played, danced, and colored together for more than an hour.  It was great to see Katie playing with them.  She desperately wanted to be included and didn't want to go home. 

July 19, 2011- Marinated Flank Steak

Katie and I went to Jen, Andy, and Jackson's house for our PEPS gathering tonight.  Since we hosted last time, we didn't have to take anything for the meal this time.  Jen marinated and grilled flank steak that was tender and full of flavor.  She mentioned that the marinade recipe included soy sauce, garlic, cumin, and several other ingredients I don't remember now.  We also had a caesar salad, a couscous salad, and peach cobbler with ice cream along with the meal.  Yum!  

July 18, 2011- Hot Dogs and Cheese Puffs

Tonight I will not win any awards for feeding my child the healthiest foods.  But, she ate well, and we were both happy at the end of the meal.  I grilled Hebrew National hot dogs and served them with Cheetos Puffs.  I sure do love those!  She also had a little bit of cheddar cheese and a bowl of fresh berries.  She didn't nap today and was definitely looking tired while she ate.  Just when I thought she would say she was finished, she asked for more food.  I'm glad I stalled for a bit, but she did end up saying she was done.  

Ben called a little after 6pm, and we got to talk with him for a while.  His first meeting, the big one, went very well.  Whoo hoo!  After the call, I read Katie one more book and took her up to bed.  In less than five minutes she was out.  I'm so thankful that her lack of afternoon nap didn't turn into a terrible bed time.  And now, it's 7:10 and I have the whole evening to myself.  Hmmm, perhaps I have time for a little crafting, reading, TV, ice cream, and extra sleep:) 

July 17, 2011- Chicken Enchiladas

This morning Ben flew off to Maine for a week of business meetings.  My goal for the week is to keep Katie busy and happy.  I guess that should be my goal every week, but it is most important without Ben to back up my lack of patience at the end of each day.  My strategy is to limit the battles I pick with Katie to those things that will lead to someone or something being hurt or damaged, behaviors that we never stand for, and blatant defiance.  As far as food goes, I'm going to let her dictate what she wants to eat.  It will definitely make my life easier this week.  The last thing I want is for Ben to come home to a cranky, exhausted wife.

For dinner, I reheated the left over enchilada from earlier this week.  I sat Katie on my lap and let her be in charge of the fork as much as possible.  She "helped" me cut it into small bites and even let her feed me a couple times.  She thought that was a hoot.  In the end, we were both full and still happy.  Great! 

July 16, 2011- Studio Chicken in Phyllo

A couple weeks ago my friend Jamie sent me a message to see how I was doing.  She told me she missed seeing new recipes on my blog.  She was right--I wasn't trying anything new.  I hadn't realized how much I had gotten stuck in a rut.  This week I made sure to work something new into my menu.  I was just winging it on the enchiladas last night, but tonight I planned something special:)

For one of my bridal showers over six years ago, I got a lovely little cookbook called "A Taste for Love: A Romantic Cookbook for Two" by Elizabeth M. Harbison and Mary McGowan.  I've only used it a couple times, but found a recipe in it this week that I thought I would be brave and try.  The bravery was needed for two things.  1- It calls for mustard which I usually don't like.  2- It is made with phyllo dough, which I've never used before. 

Before I give you the recipe, I have to say that I did the phyllo dough all wrong, but it tasted fine anyway.  Also, I was nervous about the mustard, but the tarragon and cream made a huge difference.  I really liked it!  It's a very rich entree, so we won't be making it frequently.  But, we liked it enough to make again.  Maybe quarterly:)  Okay, here's the recipe.

STUDIO CHICKEN IN PHYLLO

Purchase phyllo dough in the frozen food section of your grocery store.  Be sure to keep it moist by covering it with a damp towel as you are working with it or it will dry and crumble in your hands.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon peanut oil

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 cup country Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

10 phyllo sheets

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place the chicken pieces, seasoned salt, and flour in a 1-quart plastic bag.  Close the bag and shake until the chicken pieces are coated.

3. Over medium-heat, bring the oil to bubbling in a small saute pan.  Place the chicken pieces in the pan and saute until the juices no longer run pink, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a warm plate and keep it warm.

4. Reduce the heat to medium.  Whisk the mustard into the chicken drippings.  Add the tarragon and reduce slightly.  Whisk in the cream, blending it all thoroughly.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is reduced by one fourth.  Add the chicken to sauce, remove from the heat, and set aside.

5. Brush a shallow 1-quart casserole with melted butter.  Lay 1 phyllo sheet into the casserole, patting to fit sides.  Brush it down with the melted butter.  Repeat the process with 4 more phyllo sheets.  Fill the casserole with the chicken mixture.  Layer 5 more phyllo sheets on top of chicken, buttering between each sheet. 

6. Trim excess phyllo to within 1 inch of dish edge.  Tuck the phyllo edges under and brush with butter. 

7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until top is crisply browned.

Notes:

1. As I mentioned above, I've never worked with phyllo dough before.  I knew that it was in the freezer and that it needed to be kept moist, but I didn't think to read the box to see that it should be thawed for two hours before using.  Instead, I opened up the box and the plastic bag it came in and started to unroll it.  Yeah...that wasn't the right thing to do.  It just cracked and crumbled apart.  Not having two hours to thaw it, I decided to just go with it.  I took the thin, somewhat frozen pieces and layered them to represent full sheets of dough.  It was a little difficult to brush on the butter since the dough kept wanted to come up with the brush, but I got it to work.

2. I used olive oil since I didn't have any peanut oil.  The substitution worked just fine.  

3. I didn't have a 1 quart dish shallow dish, so I used a 1.5 quart dish with 3 inch sides.  

4. I don't know what makes a dijon mustard "country."  I just bought one that looked more interesting in texture than Grey Poupon.  

5. The 6th step in the instructions didn't make sense to me.  I just put on the 5 layers of phyllo, brushed with butter between each layer, and pushed down the edges so that they wouldn't get crispy.  It seemed to work just fine. 

July 15, 2011- Chicken Enchiladas

I make enchiladas for the first time tonight.  I didn't do much research before deciding to try this.  They weren't bad, but I definitely could work on improving them.  If you have any great techniques or recipes you like for enchiladas, please send them my way:)  While he's never made them for me before, Ben told me during dinner that he usually doesn't mix sauce in with the chicken.  He has only poured it over the top before.  Here's how I made them:

1. I prepped a casserole dish with a little bit of non-stick spray and pre-heated the oven to 375 degrees
2. I took the rotisserie chicken that I shredded last night, heated it in a skillet, added 3/4 cup of mild enchilada sauce and a cup of cheese. 
3. I spooned the chicken/sauce/cheese mixture into three wheat tortillas and placed them into the casserole dish, seam side down.
4. I pour the rest of the can of sauce over the tortillas and topped with more shredded cheese. 
5. The enchiladas baked for 25 minutes.

Katie didn't have a big lunch, so I was not surprised when she wanted to eat dinner before the enchiladas were cooked.  She asked for and ate a bowl of oatmeal along with some cheddar cheese before Ben came home.  When Ben and I started to eat, she came over to ask "Whatcha doin?"  I told her I was eating and asked if she wanted a bite.  To my surprise, she said yes.  And then she said "I like that" and asked to be up on my lap.  There she sat for the rest of the meal, eating my enchilada.  I guess she was still hungry:)

July 14, 2011- Rotisserie Chicken & Salad

I had planned on buying a rotisserie chicken at Fred Meyer on Monday, but we were there too early to get one.  We went to Safeway, which is a bit closer to our house, to pick one up this afternoon after Katie's nap.  It was a fantastic chicken.  Much better than Fred Meyer's if you ask our family.  The chicken was moist and full of flavor.   It was definitely worth the extra dollar or two it costs to buy the Safeway chicken instead of the Fred Meyer one.  I served a salad made of butter lettuce, raspberries, and glazed walnuts for our side dish.  Katie had chicken and raspberries.

After dinner,  I removed and shredded the remaining meat from the chicken bones.  I'll end up using that in a meal tomorrow. 

July 13, 2011- Smoothies

Tonight we were all over the place with dinner.  Ben worked a bit late; so, Katie and I ate before we picked him up from work.  I made fruit smoothies for Katie and me out of the fruit and juice I had in the fridge and freezer.  I didn't measure out the ingredients, but here's what I put in them:

• Frozen banana, strawberries, blueberries, peaches.
• Orange/pineapple/strawberry juice.
• Water to thin it out a bit.

Katie seemed to really like her smoothie. I served it to her in a reused Red Robin plastic cup with a bendy straw.  She called it a fruit drink.  That works for me:)  In addition to the smoothie, she had pepperoni slices and cheddar cheese for her meal.  I had an Atkins food bar since I wasn't very hungry.  

Knowing Ben would be hungry when we picked him up, we took him some chicken strips we had left over from our lunch today.  They definitely hit the spot.  When we got home, he ate a few more of the pan fried chicken tenders I cooked up on Monday.  While no longer crispy, they were still good. 

July 12, 2011- Green Beans and Ground Beef

I've shared this recipe before in previous posts, but thought I would put it directly in this one for quick reference.  The Asian flavors of this meal are simple, mild, and quite tasty.  I appreciate that it doesn't require unusual ingredients.  One of the things I like best about it is that it only calls for a half pound of ground beef.  Since I usually buy beef in pound packages, it instantly gives me half a pound to turn into taco meat.  I often have the taco meat cooking in a separate pan while making this dish.  Hello breakfast burrito!

The original recipe says it serves 4 people.  But, it also says to serve the beans and beef over rice or noodles.  We don't add the rice or noodles when we make the dish.  I count on it making two nice helpings, plus one lunch sized bowl for left overs.  

GROUND BEEF AND GREEN BEANS

from a cookbook called "Recipes I Have Known and Loved"

Sauce:

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/3 cup cooled broth

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce (we always used regular soy sauce)

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Main ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil

1 pound green beans, trimmed and sliced diagonally into 2-inch lengths

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic (2 large cloves)

1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (the original recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon...not enough!)

1/2 pound lean ground beef

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Make sure the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set the mixture aside.

2. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil for 30 seconds over high heat, and add the green beans. Stir-fry the green beans for about 4 minutes-the beans should be tender-crisp and lightly charred in spots. Remove the green beans with a slotted spoon, and set them aside.

3. Add the ginger and garlic to the pan, cook them for 30 seconds, and then add the pepper flakes and beef, crumbling the meat with a spatula. Stir-fry the mixture just until the beef loses its pinkness. Drain off all the excess fat from the pan.

4. Stir the reserved sauce once more, and add it to the meat. Cook the mixture, stirring it, for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Fold in the reserved green beans, heat the mixture for 1 minute, and serve.

July 11, 2011- Pan Fried Chicken Tenders

Tonight I made my best pan fried chicken tenders ever.  I didn't change much in my process except I was more patient.  I lightly coated the chicken tenderloins in a mixture of flour, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a little cayenne pepper.  I heated olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat and added the chicken.  I dropped in a little butter to increase the smoke point.  (Thanks Food Network for that tip years ago.)  And then, I waited and waited and waited until they turned golden brown on the pan side before flipping them. 

While they were cooking, I thought I would quickly unload the dishwasher.  Katie was trying to "help", but she doesn't help or listen very well with dishes at this age.  While I was putting glasses into the cupboard, she started to pulled out a large glass mug.  I told her NO, asked her to put it down, but she didn't.  It quickly slipped out of her hands and shattered on the floor.  Thankfully neither of us was hurt.  She cried hard for a minute, but then stayed in the dining room chair and read books while I cleaned up.  So, the patience I needed to wait for the flip side of the chicken to brown came from having to clean up glass in the kitchen.  Hopefully I won't need a glass to break in order for the chicken to be cooked properly the next time. 

We had berry salad of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries for our side dish. 

July 10, 2011- Cheeseburgers

We made really good cheeseburgers tonight.  Ben grilled frozen hamburger patties from Costco, seasoned heavily with Lawry's seasoning salt.  We both topped the burgers with cheddar cheese and bacon.  I added ketchup and pickles to mine while Ben added barbecue sauce.  Katie ate most of her mini cheeseburger, dipped in ketchup of course:)  We all ate pears to go with our burgers.

Usually I'm not very worried about selecting organic products at the grocery store.  But, I have to tell you, I always find the organic pears to taste much better than the non-organic pears.  Maybe it's simply because they have been picked when ripe.  No matter the reason, I'm thankful for very yummy pears. 

July 9, 2011- Country Style Pork Ribs

Yesterday afternoon I started making Country Style Pork Ribs for Kate and Spencer to have for dinner.  Ben was the first one to prepare them in our house, and he did a great job documenting the process in the following post: http://duckywhit-whatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2011/02/monday-2212011.html.  In order to get out the door for our date last night, I turned the preparation over to Spencer at step #8 in the directions.  We made enough so that we could have left overs for our dinner tonight.  I reheated the pork in the microwave, smothered with more bbq sauce.  I reheated corn on the cob from last week's PEPS potluck for our side dish.

July 8, 2011- Sazerac

Kate and Spencer kindly offered to babysit Katie for us tonight. Date night...what a treat! After getting her settled in with them, I met Ben downtown for dinner and a movie.  We planned to keep our food costs down by sticking to happy hour menus.  We ended up at Sazerac since the happy hour menu was offered until 8pm, two hours longer than most restaurants. 

We started with Crispy "Truffles"-- a deep fried ball of yukon gold potatoes and truffle cheese, coated in bread crumbs, served with truffled aioli.  I really expected a fancy potato chip when I ordered them.  What a pleasant surprise.  Next, Ben had the pulled pork sliders with a mustard based bbq sauce, and I had the cheeseburger sliders with garlic aioli.  We wrapped up the meal by sharing the grilled housemade Andouille sausage.  It had a great texture and a unique flavor.  The food was wonderful, but so were our seats.  

We were seated at the chef's counter, which meant we could watch the chef prepare food while we ate.  The thing we miss most about not having cable television anymore is The Food Network.  We love watching people prepare food.  Tonight it was just like we were part of a live studio audience for a Food Network show.  What fun!  The chef greeted us and said goodbye when we left, but was heads-down the entire we were eating.  I wonder if he likes being watched so closely while he works. 

The movie we saw was Horrible Bosses.  Oh man, that is a hilarious movie!  We were in a packed theater and the whole audience laughed and groaned and jumped as one.  If you liked The Hangover or Bridesmaids, I've got to think you will love this movie!  We will own it for sure.

July 7, 2011- Kalbi Short Ribs

I got Kalbi marinated beef short ribs from the Fred Meyer meat counter yesterday morning.  They grill up really quickly and are usually quite tasty.  Well, I didn't get the best selection this time.  The meat was really fatty and the marinade didn't penetrate the meat like it usually does.  I guess that's what I get for shopping so early in the morning.  We grilled asparagus tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper as our side dish.  

July 6, 2011- Baja Citrus Chicken

If you've read my  blog for a while, you know that we use Grill Mates marinade seasoning packets frequently.  The packaging for each variety lists two or three proteins that the flavors will work best with.  I usually don't sway from that list.  But, tonight I decided to try the Baja Citrus marinade on chicken tenderloins.  It was pretty good.  I don't prefer it to some of the other flavors, but it was just fine.  I marinated the chicken for two hours before broiling it.  I made a salad of butter lettuce, sliced strawberries, glazed walnuts, and poppy seed dressing for our side.  It is such a great summer salad. 

July 5, 2011- Pasta at Pallino's

We left Redmond, OR, at 11am today.  After stops for coffee and gas, and then lunch in Madras at Sonic Burger, we were really on the road at noon.  It wasn't not a quick trip, but we did get home by 8pm with a stop at Pallino's pasta restaurant in Issaquah.  I had pesto genovese with penne and chicken.  The pesto was really good-- not too garlicky or sweet.  Ben had Mama's Meat Sauce with Rigatoni and added sausage.  Katie had a few nibbles on her cheese pizza.  Boy, it was a long day. I'm glad to be home!

July 4, 2011- Cake and Ice Cream

Kate, Spencer, and Jennifer had to leave this morning.  Ben, Katie, and I are staying an extra day so that we can avoid the holiday traffic. Hopefully not everyone else has the same idea;)

We had a small breakfast, and then ended up having a big late lunch.  We stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Tumalo and filled up on nachos. I had hoped to get a grilled hot dog at the golf course snack shop, but it closed early due to the holiday.  We went back to Jennifer's house and fed Katie a small meal of deli meat, cheese, and grapes for dinner.  After we got her to sleep, we sat out on the porch and had left over chocolate cake and ice cream.  Yes, we did indeed have dessert for dinner, and it was good.

July 3, 2011- Steaks, Asparagus, & Baked Potatoes

Jennifer and I have been planning a surprise bridal shower for Kate for several months.  We wanted to have it this weekend in Redmond since many of our close family friends usually spend holiday weekends there too.  Well, in the end, we were the only ones in Redmond this time.  So, we hosted a shower for Kate and Spencer with just our immediate family.  It was quite nice:) 

For dinner, Jennifer purchased lovely tenderloin steaks.  I brought a tin of Aromatica Organics Nebraska Prime Steak Seasoning with me, which was rubbed on the steaks.  Ben was in charge of grilling them, and he did a fantastic job.  The steaks were all cooked perfectly for each of our preferences.  So, the combination of the great meat, the delicious rub, and the careful grilling resulted in excellent steaks.  We grilled asparagus and baked potatoes to enjoy with the steaks.  

After dinner the dogs were walked and then the shower continued.  We played a couple games-- "Future spouse trivia" and "Name that white baking ingredient".  They were fun even with our small group.  After the games were over, we enjoyed a delicious chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries. And, no bridal shower would be complete without a few presents:)  It was a perfect evening!  

Well, I should be honest and say that Katie puked just a little bit while eating cake, but we cleaned it up so quickly that it was like it never happened. Other than that, it was a perfect evening.

July 2, 2011- Brickhouse

For a couple months, Jennifer has been talking about a great steakhouse in Redmond, OR, called Brickhouse.  Tonight we got to eat there.  The ambiance was very cool, and yet, it didn't make us feel odd by having a toddler with us.  Katie behaved quite well as long as she was allowed to watch The Princess and The Frog on my iPod.  She had fish and chips.  Jennifer and I each tried the halibut encrusted in parmesan with asparagus.  She had mashed potatoes while I chose the rice.  The halibut was cooked perfectly and was a large portion.  Kate had the pork rack with apples, onions, and a maple bourbon glaze.  Spencer had salmon, which said was just alright.

Ben had the best meal of the night.  He ordered the Dungeness Crab Fettucine.  It had lovely, big chunks of crab on top of the pasta.  There was a good amount of shredded crab in the cream sauce while really made the dish.  I usually don't order meals with crab in them, but I would order this one again in a heartbeat.  If you find yourself in Redmond or Bend, Oregon, I highly recommend eating at Brickhouse.  You won't be disappointed.

July 1, 2011- Sandwiches and Pancakes

We left Seattle at 12:30 today, driving to Redmond, OR, for the weekend.  We met up with Kate and Spencer, who were driving down separately, in Madras, OR, for dinner at the Black Bear Diner.  Other than a weird situation with a claustrophobic woman while waiting to be seated,  it was a pretty good meal.  I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries.  The barbecue sauce on my sandwich was a bit sweeter than I like it, but it was still very good.  Ben had a great tri-tip sandwich with fries.  Katie opted for breakfast and had chocolate chip pancakes, heavily dipped in syrup, with chocolate milk and fruit.  Spencer had a half rack of pork ribs with clam chowder, and Kate had the California Bacon Benedict.  

After dinner, we drove into Redmond and met Jennifer at Fred Meyer to pick up groceries for the weekend.  If we had driven straight to her house without the grocery store stop, we would have arrived in exactly 7.5 hours.  Not bad considering it included a bathroom stop, long dinner, and a construction zone where we had to drive pretty slow.  The worst part of the trip was that we got a long crack in our windshield when a rock hit our window in the construction zone. 

June 30, 2011- Nachos

Ben got his hair cut tonight after work, and Katie and I met him at the salon.  As soon as we walked out the door, he said "to Cactus?"  So, to Cactus we went.  Ben and I split an order of nachos while Katie had a cheese quesadilla.  The nachos were excellent tonight.  We added chicken and chorizo to the nachos covered in roasted corn, jalapenos, charred tomato salsa, cheese, and buttermilk crema.  Last time I think the nachos were short on cheese.  Not the case tonight.  Oh...so...good!  We are leaving for the long holiday weekend tomorrow, and it is great to not have to clean up after a dinner meal. 

June 29, 2011- Aglio Et Olio with Grilled Chicken

Our friends Laura and David had us over for dinner tonight.  David was in charge of grilling the chicken breasts, tomatoes, and summer squash.  They were all delicious!  Laura made an amazing and simple flavored oil to toss the pasta with.  The pasta dish, Aglio Et Olio, is basically pasta with oil and garlic.  I didn't see the exact recipe she followed, but it included simmering minced garlic and red pepper flakes in oil until the garlic was crispy, but not burned.  She removed the crispy garlic and pepper flakes and drizzled the infused garlic over the pasta.  The crispy bits were served on the side for more kick.  

We brought a green salad with pears, Craisins, and a balsamic vinaigrette to go with the meal.   For dessert, they offered us David's mom's famous mint, chocolate brownies.  We were fortunately to be introduced to these brownies almost a year ago when they got married.  Our eyes lit up when we saw them on a plate:)  Tonight, after dinner, they introduced us to Kinect.  What fun!  We plugged holes in a glass box, jumped in a large river raft, and looked ridiculous doing it.  Katie even got into it, jumping for everything.