Week16 - She surprised me!

Chicken Enchiladas

 

Enchiladas have been on my radar for a while. But I did not think my wife would like them, but then she brought home the fixings to make them and I thought “All right”.  A quick browsing of the Internet brought 2 basic methods for making them.  The first involved dipping the tortillas in the enchilada sauce before rolling them up, which looked like too much work to be honest. So I decided to just fill them up, roll em’ up, and then cover with sauce.  For filling I used a mixture of ground beef and a shredded Mexican cheese mix, along with some onions.  I made 2 pans worth, one with red enchilada sauce for my wife and a green chili batch for myself.  Each batch was then topped with more cheese.

 

Both turned out incredible.  By making them myself, I was able to get the amount of sauce and cheese that I desired.  Too often in restaurants they overdo both the sauce and cheese.  Topped them off with sour cream and lettuce and served with sides of cilantro-lime rice and black beans.  Yummy

 

Until next time

COOK ON!

Week 15 - No bonesabout it!

 

Pan-fried Buffalo Style Chicken

 

 
Like wings, but hate the bones? Try this easy dish.

 

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

Buffalo style wing sauce

Directions

1. Use a meat mallet to pound breast to ½ inch thickness,

2.  Heat 2 table spoon of oil over medium heat.

3.  Cook breast until center is no longer pink.

4.  Add ¾ - 1 cup of buffalo sauce.  Coat both sides of breast with sauce, and cook for an additional 4 minutes per side.

 

Serve with your choice of sides and a salad (with blue cheese dressing of course) and you have a quick and easy week night dinner.

Until next time:

COOK ON!

Week 14 Spring Break - Camp cooking!

Chicken and Tia Curry Rice

 

Spring break!  Time to go camping.  Nothing like a few days in the desert to flush out the work cobwebs.  Also a good chance to try out a new recipe.   My hope was to find something that would not only work for car camping but for backpacking as well.  The key to this is a relatively easy prep; which mainly involves boiling water. The answer Knorr sides. Knorr has a large selection of sides which need only water, or milk, and 10minutes or so of boiling.For this trip I decided to try to make a curry chicken dish.

 

Ingredients

1 can chunk tuna

1 package Knorr Tia Curry Rice

 

 
Directions

Cook rice according to package.  The last five minutes of boiling add chicken to warm it up. Serve with an ample side of sunset on sandstone and nothing could be better.

 

My only change would be to add a little extra curry powder, as I like mine a little spicy.

 

Unitl next time:

COOK ON!

Week 13 - Lite Mexican

Chicken Taco Bowl Salad

 

This week’s new recipe comes courtesy of my wife.  When I asked her wanted she wanted for dinner the other night, she said something lite sounded good, perhaps some sort of taco salad with chicken in it.   Her wish was my command and my challenge.

 
Overall this is a really quick and easy dinner to prepare.  The hardest part was finding the taco shell bowls, as our regular grocery store did not carry them.  Luckily the next store I tried did have 1 box in stock (no dust on the box, so it must be O.K…. Right?).  I also was lazy and saved time by buying pre-cooked and seasoned chicken.  All I had to do was to reheat it in the skillet and drop it in the salad.  Once we had the basic parts for the salad it became a fix it yourself affair.  For mine I chose sour cream, hidden valley ranch spicy ranch dressing, fresh pico de gallo (from the store – so-so), cheddar cheese, avocado, salad and chicken.  It was so good I had to make a second.
 

Until next week –

COOK ON!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                              

Week 12

 

Week 11: Chicken Pasta with Creamy Basil Sauce

A new use for yogurt. I would not have thought to use yogurt as a sauce, but it turned out good.  Next time I would probably add a few more spices as the dish was a little too mellow for my taste.

 

Ingredients:

3 cups Bow-tie pasta

2 cups broccoli florets

1 pound boneless chicken breast

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1cupchicken broth

1 teaspoon sugar

1 red pepper

4-5 mushrooms

¾ cup plain yogurt

3 – 4 tablespoons chopped basil

 

Directions:

1.          Cook pasta according to directions.  Add broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain.

2.          Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder and pepper, and cook to no longer pink.

3.         In bowl mix cornstarch, sugar and broth.  Add broth mixture, mushrooms and red peppers to skillet:  cook 4 minutes until sauce has thickened. 

4.         Stir in pasta, broccoli, yogurt and basil. Heat over low heat until just hot (do not boil)

 

 

 

Until next week:  COOK ON!

Week 10 - Pita Pizzas

While it is my goal to try and cook a new recipe each week, I thought it would be fun to include the whole family this week with Pita Pizzas. This turned out to be a very fun meal.  My 3 year old loved making and the eating his own pizza, and the size was perfect for him. From spreading the sauce to levering on the pineapple and cheese, he thought it was about the best thing.

 

Ingredients

6” Pitas

Spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese –shredded

Pine apple

Onion

Roasted green chilies

Cream Cheese

 

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 450° degrees

2.  Layer pitas with sauce, toppings of your choosing, and of course cheese

3.  Cook for 12-15 minutes

 

 

While my wife and son played it safe with just cheese and pineapple.  I decided to go with my favorite cream cheese (trust me it’s really good), roasted green chilies (from the farmer’s market this fall), onion and pineapple.  They all turned out great.  The crust on the first batch was a little softer than we liked, so for round two we increased the cooking by 2 minutes.  This was a quick and easy dinner that will be guaranteed to take its way back to the dinner table time and time again.

Until next time COOK ON!!

 

Week 9 - Honey-Mustart Pork Roast

Not much beats the smell of a roast cooking away all day in your house while you are working on a project. Today was spent finishing the flooring the bathroom and I knew I was not going to want to cook later in the day. The answer to this problem... The crockpot. I was able to prepare the roast while I still had energy this morning and let it cook all day long. The aromas wetted my appetite as we finished our flooring project (Yea, we are all done with the floor now.. But what's next??)

 
I have made a few roasts in my life, mostly beef though. My pork roast have amounted to not much more than pouring in a bottle of my favortie BBQ sauce for pulled pork sandwiches.  Today’s roast, Honey-Mustard Pork, required just a little more preparation, but still not enough to really be a fuss.

 
Ingredients:

·         1 onion, chopped

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         1/4 cup honey

·         1/4 Dijon mustard

·         1 tsp. salt

·         1/4 tsp. pepper

·         1 (3 lb.) rolled boneless pork roast

·         1/4 cup chicken broth

·         1 Tbsp. cornstarch

·         1/4 cup water

Directions

1.      Place onions and garlic in crockpot..

2.      Season pork roast with salt and pepper,

3.      Mix honey and mustard together and spread over both sides of pork roast

4.      Put roast on top of onions and garlic

5.      Add chicken broth.

6.      Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

7.      Remove roast and cover with foil to keep warm while making sauce.

8.       Combine cornstarch and water in a saucepan and blend with wire whisk.

9.       Add juices and cooked onions and garlic from crockpot to saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring frequently.

 
The honey mustard gave the roast a great flavor. The long cook time did not dampen the flavor as must as I thought it would, which made me happy I served the roast with mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing

 

Until next time COOK ON!

 

 

Week 8- Chicken Sausage. Pepper and Tomatoes

It has been a bust 2 weeks at the old homestead.  We have been putting in a new floor in our family room, and I have gotten behind on my weekly entry.  That does not mean that I have been slacking. Week’s 8 new dinner was Chicken Sausage. Pepper and Tomatoes served over fettuccine. I have never had chicken sausage before, so I went with a trusted brand; Johnsville, Chicken and Apple (pre-cooked sausage).

 

I was very happy with the results.  The grated parmesan cheese gave it a nice flavor.  I really enjoyed having the pasta without the traditional red sauce. It felt like a lot lighter dish tis way.

 

Ingredients

1 pkg. (12 oz.) chicken sausage links, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

3 bell peppers (assorted colors), chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese,

1/2 lb. feticunni., uncooked

 

 

Directions

1.      Cook sausage in non-stick pan on medium-high heat until almost cooked through (or heated up if using precooked), then add peppers. Continue to cook peppers until desired crispness.

2.      Mix in tomaotes and cook over low heat until tomatoes have softened.

3.      Add in Parmesan cheese.

4.      Serve over feticunni.

 

 

Until next time COOK ON!

Caio Baby

Italian Chicken-Zucchini Skillet

 

Nothing in my new recipe list sounded good this week, so it was back out into the web I went looking for this week’s new dinner.  It is easy to get lost out there with the plethora of food webpages out there.  The problem is not too little information, but in fact too much. On the Hunt’s website I found a good sounding recipe for Italian Chicken-Zucchini Skillet (http://www.hunts.com/recipes/recipe-print?recipeId=5625). It only took a few ingredients, and was simple to cook.  Sounded great to me.

 

Ingredients

■ 1- 2 cups dry orzo pasta, uncooked

■ 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size

pieces

■ 1 pkg (16 oz each) frozen bell pepper and onion strips

■ 2 cups sliced zucchini

■ 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic

and Oregano, drained

■ 1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce with Basil, Garlic and

Oregano

■ 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

 

Directions

1. Cook chicken in skillet until no longer pink.

2.  Add in peppers, and zucchini.  Cook for 10 minutes to soften veggies.

3.  Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Cover and cook until veggies are at desired softness.

4. Serve over Orzo pasta (cook according to directions on packaging).

5.  Top with fresh Parmesan cheese (not powdered).

 

 
I was happy with the way the recipe turned out.  This was the first time I had ever had Orzo, and I really liked it.  The Mrs. And I were brain storming on what other dishes we could serve it up with, and I think we found a few others.  Total prep and cook time as 45 minutes or so.  So far no bad new dinners.  Let’s hope this streak keep on. 

 

Until next time COOK ON!

 

 

Super Bowl Sunday

What is more traditional on Super Bowl Sunday than pizza?  With everyone ordering from the pizza chains, I did not want to have to wait for mine to be delivered.  So tonight it was going to be “home-made” Stromboli.  With making our own at home everyone can get what they want on/in it.  The recipe called for premade refrigerated dough, which was fine with me, as it made life much simpler. However, it almost was not to be.
 
When we opened the trunk on the X-Terra to take the groceries out yesterday, both packs of dough came rolling out and broke open on the ground.  I thought no big deal at the time as I put them in a Zip-lock for the night.  I thought I could just roll the dough out today.  Well when I tried to roll out the dough tonight, it would not roll out like I wanted. SO I had to make a quick run to Wal-Mart for a few more rolls. I made sure not to drop this batch once home.
 
For me if was roasted green chilies, pineapple, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce.  The Mrs. went with just pineapple, cheese and sauce. They ended up being more like calzones than Stromboli, due to the fact that I did not get a good roll up on them.  It was easier just to pull the dough over the toppings.  Either way, they were darn good. Brushed the tops with egg whites and water before baking for a nice brown crust.
 
Unfortunately the game was not as good as tonight’s dinner.  The Ravens won!  I am still mad about the whole Cleveland Brown’s issue from way to long ago.  I can’t ever root for the miserable Ravens.
 
Until next time – COOK ON!

Breaded, Mango Salsa Chicken

Tonight’s dinner started off with the main course, pan fried breaded, mango salsa chicken.  That was easy to come up with, however the big question was what to serve with it.  When I think of mango salsa, my mind automatically meanders over to cilantro-line rice; once of my favorite side dishes with Mexican food.  While relaxing, before diving into cooking dinner tonight, my mind wander to some zucchini fritters that my wife made this past summer.  Since I had picked up a couple zucchini for later this week, I decided to search for a recipie to make these.

 

Having never had much luck having with pan frying breaded chicken I headed to the Internet and for some tips. What I found:  cook on medium heat flipping often until the juices come out clear.  I understand the medium heat and flipping often, but was not sure about the clear juice.  IN the past I think I have tried to fry them on much too high of heat.  After the first couple of flippings I press them with a spatula; white juices…. So that is what they mean.  Got it! Success!  The breast turned out tender and juicy.

 

Searching Youtube!  For zucchini fritters recipe I came upon the BBQMyWay channel and I great recipe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QQe9tFuQlU).. Check out the short video, to see cooking directions.  I found it to be very easy and tasty.

 

Salsa Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, minced

1 fresh plabano, seeded and chopped

1 Roma tomato, dices

½ lime

 

Mix all ingredients then squeeze lime half over the salsa and mix again.  Use as a garnish over the chicken.

 

Breaded Chicken

4 small chicken breasts (use meat hammer to pound to even, thin thickness)

1 egg

¼ cup bread crumbs

Chili powder to taste.

 

Mix beaten egg and milk together.  Dip breast into mixture then into bread crumb/chili powder breading.  Heat fry pan to medium then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Place breast in oil.  Cook 3 – 4 minutes ,then flip.  Afterwards flip every 2 minutes, until juices run clear when breast are pressed with spatula.

 

Until next week COOK ON!

 

Smoky Mountain Chicken

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner! And this week’s new recipe was a winner.  But then again, how can you go wrong when ham, BBQ sauce and melted cheese are involved.  I thought this recipe sounded good, but I was really surprised by the finished product.  The BBQ sauce blends wonderfully with the ham and melted cheese. 
 

 Ingredients:

·         4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

·         Black pepper to taste

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 teaspoon Italian-style seasoning

·         1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce

·         4 slices black forest ham

·         4 slices Provolone cheese

·         1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

 

Directions:

·         Place chicken breast in a lightly oiled baking dish.

·         Season chicken with black pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning to taste.

·         Bake 25 -30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

·         Spoon BBQ sauce over chicken breasts.

·         Layer ham and cheese over chicken

·         Return to oven and cook 5 minutes until cheese melts

 

I sautéed up some zucchini and yellow squash sprinkled with parmesan cheese as a side. This is one recipe that will be making a repeat appearance.  Until next time Cook On!

Pine Apple Pork Chops

This was a tough week for me to create a menu.  My new recipe was easy, Pineapple Pork Chops.  However, besides this nothing sounded good to me.  I am tired of all my regular menu items.  It took me 3 separate sittings to come up with the menu, and I am still one dinner short.  I guess we will have to eat out that night.

 

Ingredients:

• Pork Loin Chops – no bone, thin cut

• 1/4 cup reduce-sodium soy sauce

• 1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar1 tsp minced ginger  

• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, partially drained

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place pork loins into greased (cooking spray) dish. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl, then pour over top of chops.  Cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Nice and easy.

 

Overall the dinner came out well. The chops were a little tougher than I would have liked.  Perhaps pound then a little first next time, or cook at a lower temperature. 

 Served Rice-a-Roni herb and butter?? rice and baked apples as a side.  The apples went well with the pineapple.  Week 3 and still going strong. 

 

Check back next week to see what’s for dinner. Until then Cook On!

Here Fishy Fishy

I love fishing; specifically fly fishing.  There is nothing like standing knee deep in a beautiful stream with nothing on, or clouding, your mind but a dry fly falling gently on the water’s surface. Until this weekend all the fishing that I do is catch and release.  I figure why remove it from the population, when I can comeback another day and try to catch it again. However, this weekend a friend of mine invited me and my son (3 1/2) to join him and his family for a day of ice fishing.  Now I had never been ice fishing before.  Frankly I thought it was just an excuse to drink beer away from the wife.  But with a group of us going I thought it would be a fun time and a good excuse to get my son out for the day (and to give mom a day of rest). 5 adults, 5 kids and my son was the first to pull in a fish. That’s my boy!! Since the lake was full of “stockers” we decided to keep the days catch: 4 Rainbow Trout for us.

 

Now being a catch and release fisherman I had never cleaned a fish before.  But luckily Steve was there for a quick tutorial.  Pretty easy!  As far as cooking, I went to the Internet and found a bunch or recipes on foil grilling techniques.  I chose to grill it mainly because I did not want the house to smell like fish.  Now, not only was this a new recipe for me, but it was also my first time every eating trout.

 

After removing the heads of the trout I put salt, pepper, Italian spices, butter and a lemon slice in the body cavity. Then I wrapped the fish in foil and tightly sealed the edges.  I placed the foil packets on the grill and cooked on each side for about 10 minutes, over a low flame.  The trick then was to de-bone the fish.

 

Steve assured me that it would be easy. Lift the tail and the bones would follow.  Then use a fork to separate the skeleton from the meat.  Surprisingly it worked just like he said. I did up with a few small bones in my meat, but managed to keep my wife’s pieces free of bones. 

 

As far as the taste… Not too bad.  The meat was tender and very mild in flavor. Not much of the spice and lemon flavor seemed to seep in.  I will have to go a little heavier on them next time.  Overall though I am quite pleased with myself for my first trout dinner.  This is one dinner I will have to try again.  Next time thought, over the campfire. 

 

Until next week – Cook On!

Happy New Year! -Caribbean Crockpot Pork

Happy New Year everyone.  Hope your New Year’s Eve was full of fun.  With the family being sick, I enjoyed the AMC Walking Dead marathon. Never thought I would like a show about Zombies, but I must say I love it.  I decided I needed to start the year off right with my new dinner. 

 

 

My Dad always says never at chicken on New Year's Day, because if you do you will be scratching for money all year.  Rather eat pork so you can root in money all year long.  I thought they were old wives tales, not old Dad's tales.  So tonight it was Caribbean Crockpot Pork.

 

While this is a quick recipe to prepare it has about a 6 to 8 hours cook time, due to being in the crockpot. 

Ingredients:

·            2 Tbsp. brown sugar

·            1 Tbsp. curry powder

·            1 tsp. cumin

·            1/2 tsp. salt

·            1/8 tsp. pepper

·            1 (2.5 lb.) boneless pork loin roast

·            2 onions, chopped

·            1/2 cup apple juice

 

First make a rub with the dry ingredients and rub it into the pork.  Place the pork over the chopped onions in the crock pot, then add the apple juice.  I cooked it for about 6 – 7 hours on high.  After 3 hours the aroma began to fill the house.  I would probably increase the brown sugar to give it a bit more sweetness, and perhaps add a little more curry as I like it spicy.  After cooking I made a gravy with the broth by adding some corn starch.  I served it over white rice with the onions and some yellow squash I had sautéed up.

 

Overall I really liked this recipe.  The pork came out tender and with a good taste.  The gravy was nice over the rice.  The source of this was the Safeway Recipe Center, find the complete recipe HERE.

Until next week - COOK ON!