Birthday trip to the Oregon Coast
12 years ago
Thursday, April 29, 2010
TOO BUSY
Hi. Just in case you are worried that I stopped feeding my family dinner, have no fear. I am just way too busy this week to blog about dinner. I promise to continue the saga of comfort food next week with Chipotle Mexican Grill burritos, chili dogs, and hot italian sausages.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, 4/27/2010
Last night after putting Katie to bed, I made up a batch of chili. We've got a very busy week ahead of us this week and it seemed like a good idea to get that one out of the way early. We found this recipe on the Food Network a couple years ago. We've doubled the beef broth and tomato sauce quantities, but left the rest the same.
CHILI
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef (we like to use 1 lb leanest beef and 1 lb not so lean)
2 (14-ounce) cans low sodium beef broth (the low sodium is definitely preferred)
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
Batch one:
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (we found bouillon granules on the grocery store isle with the Mexican food ingredients)
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
Batch two:
5 tablespoons red chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
Batch three:
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
In a large heavy bottom pot (we use a dutch oven) heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and drain off the excess grease. Add the tomato sauce and the beef broth and simmer for 1 hour in covered pot. Uncover the pot for the rest of the preparation. Add all of the ingredients from Batch one, stir and simmer for 35 more minutes. Add Batch two to the pot and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring often. Add Batch three and cook for 10 more minutes.
Tonight we topped our chili with shredded cheddar cheese and scooped it with tortilla chips. I tried to serve Katie some chicken and stars baby food, but she would have nothing to do with it. She only wanted our chili. I even attempted to trick her by pouring some of the baby food into my empty bowl, serving it to her with my soup spoon. She was too smart for that. So, she had chili for dinner and loved it! Guess since she only wants to eat what we eat, we better start eating more vegetables for dinner.
CHILI
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef (we like to use 1 lb leanest beef and 1 lb not so lean)
2 (14-ounce) cans low sodium beef broth (the low sodium is definitely preferred)
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
Batch one:
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (we found bouillon granules on the grocery store isle with the Mexican food ingredients)
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
Batch two:
5 tablespoons red chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
Batch three:
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
In a large heavy bottom pot (we use a dutch oven) heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and drain off the excess grease. Add the tomato sauce and the beef broth and simmer for 1 hour in covered pot. Uncover the pot for the rest of the preparation. Add all of the ingredients from Batch one, stir and simmer for 35 more minutes. Add Batch two to the pot and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring often. Add Batch three and cook for 10 more minutes.
Tonight we topped our chili with shredded cheddar cheese and scooped it with tortilla chips. I tried to serve Katie some chicken and stars baby food, but she would have nothing to do with it. She only wanted our chili. I even attempted to trick her by pouring some of the baby food into my empty bowl, serving it to her with my soup spoon. She was too smart for that. So, she had chili for dinner and loved it! Guess since she only wants to eat what we eat, we better start eating more vegetables for dinner.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, 4/26/2010
This afternoon I drafted my menu and grocery list for the coming week. It must have been the gloomy weather that lead me to plan comfort food for the week. Tonight we had penne pasta with Roasted Garlic sauce, and crumbled hot italian sausage topped with a little fresh Parmesan cheese.
For pasta sauce, my absolute favorite is Ben's family recipe. Since it takes several hours to make, we only have that a few times a year. For our everyday pasta sauce I choose the Classico brand. Every once in a while I branch away and try something else, but they are usually more expensive and don't taste that much better in my opinion. I usually stick with the Spicy Tomato & Basil flavor, but today tried the Roasted Garlic. It was good too, but both Ben and I preferred the spicy variety. In looking at the Classico product line just now, I see that there is a Spicy Tomato & Pesto sauce. I'll have to look for that one too. I LOVE PESTO!
For pasta sauce, my absolute favorite is Ben's family recipe. Since it takes several hours to make, we only have that a few times a year. For our everyday pasta sauce I choose the Classico brand. Every once in a while I branch away and try something else, but they are usually more expensive and don't taste that much better in my opinion. I usually stick with the Spicy Tomato & Basil flavor, but today tried the Roasted Garlic. It was good too, but both Ben and I preferred the spicy variety. In looking at the Classico product line just now, I see that there is a Spicy Tomato & Pesto sauce. I'll have to look for that one too. I LOVE PESTO!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, 4/25/2010
A couple years ago Ben bought "How to Grill" by Steven Raichelen. We haven't tried very many of the recipes in it, but we love the Basic Barbecue Rub recipe (see below). We actually gave jars of it as Christmas gifts a couple years ago along with the recipe. What I like about this rub is that it is easy to put together, keeps for a long time, and doesn't need to go on the meat for very long to give it good flavor.
Tonight we grilled chicken drumsticks rubbed in this good stuff, finished off with a coating of Jack Daniels bbq sauce. The drumsticks cooked on indirect medium heat for 40-50 minutes- turning at 25 minutes. And before finishing, they were coated with bbq sauce, flipped, the other side was coated, flipped, and then cooked for two minutes. Finger lickin' good:)
BASIC BARBECUE RUB
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet paprika
3 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon hickory-smoked salt or more coarse salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Store in an airtight jar away from heat or light; it will keep for at least 6 months.
A couple notes:
* We have never had the hickory-smoked salt, so have always opted to use more coarse salt.
* The published recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of celery seeds. We didn't have this ingredient the first time I made it and it was great. I bought the seeds later on and tried it again. We definitely DID NOT like it. So, no more celery seeds for us. But, if you find you like them, give it a try.
BASIC BARBECUE RUB
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet paprika
3 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon hickory-smoked salt or more coarse salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Store in an airtight jar away from heat or light; it will keep for at least 6 months.
A couple notes:
* We have never had the hickory-smoked salt, so have always opted to use more coarse salt.
* The published recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of celery seeds. We didn't have this ingredient the first time I made it and it was great. I bought the seeds later on and tried it again. We definitely DID NOT like it. So, no more celery seeds for us. But, if you find you like them, give it a try.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday, 4/24/2010
Oh Garlic Jims, you make delicious pizza. Ben's brother came over this afternoon and we ordered a double pepperoni & sausage pizza with garlic wings and ice cream for dinner. The pizza was fantastic as always, but the wings were a little disappointing.
In my opinion, the skin was too chewy. I like crispy skin on my wings. The garlic flavor was ok, but I just didn't care for the texture. Ben thought they were alright, but wouldn't order them again. Spencer thought they were ok, but wouldn't order them either. Guess we'll stick with just ordering the pizza.
Katie ate much earlier than we did. She didn't have a very long nap and was quite whiny thoughout her meal. She ate her mac & cheese & peas in fits and spurts. The fits involved smooshing her food on her tray with her hands and then running them through her hair. Ugh!
In my opinion, the skin was too chewy. I like crispy skin on my wings. The garlic flavor was ok, but I just didn't care for the texture. Ben thought they were alright, but wouldn't order them again. Spencer thought they were ok, but wouldn't order them either. Guess we'll stick with just ordering the pizza.
Katie ate much earlier than we did. She didn't have a very long nap and was quite whiny thoughout her meal. She ate her mac & cheese & peas in fits and spurts. The fits involved smooshing her food on her tray with her hands and then running them through her hair. Ugh!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday, 4/23/2010
Ben's been working late this week, so we haven't eaten together many times. I am thankful that he got home by 6:30 tonight so that we could share our meal. We had left over salmon cakes with a sweet fruit salad. The salad consisted of bananas, mango, pear, and mandarin orange segments. Delicious!
Katie had to eat around 5:30. She had cheese...and 1/2 a salmon cake and a quarter of a pear:)
Katie had to eat around 5:30. She had cheese...and 1/2 a salmon cake and a quarter of a pear:)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday, 4/22/2010
I took Katie shopping this afternoon to get new shoes and pajamas. What fun (for me)! Actually, she seems to like the new shoes a lot. We were only half way done with our shopping when dinner time came. Since Ben had a business dinner tonight, Katie and I went to Panera Bread for our meal. I had a Smokehouse Turkey panini and Katie had a grilled cheese sandwich. We shared an apple. My sandwich was pretty good considering it had a mustard based sauce on it. In case you didn't know, I'm not a mustard fan. I was hoping the sun-dried tomato flavor would hide the mustard more than it did.
Her meal came with a tube of yogurt, but I couldn't see how I would have fed that to her without making a huge mess. I didn't think about dinner when I left the house, so we didn't have a bib with us. There was a little mess when Katie spilled her milk all over the place, but we had a pair of extra pants in the diaper bag. So all was good and neither one of us cried:)
Her meal came with a tube of yogurt, but I couldn't see how I would have fed that to her without making a huge mess. I didn't think about dinner when I left the house, so we didn't have a bib with us. There was a little mess when Katie spilled her milk all over the place, but we had a pair of extra pants in the diaper bag. So all was good and neither one of us cried:)
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