Anne Burrell's Parmigiano Flan

This was another flop for us.  Anne Burrell's Parmigiano Flan from Cook Like A Rock Star was uninspiring, but at least it was easy :)  The recipe made 6 little flans, and they were each 395 calories.  These took much longer to cook than the recipe said, and I found them very unpleasant.  They were too, I don't know, eggy, or something, but the consistency was very off-putting.  Owen gave them a 7, he thought this was good, but Aaron and Noah gave it a 4 and I gave it a 3.  Here's the super simple recipe

2 c heavy cream
4 large eggs
1 c parmesan freshly grated
salt
cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 325.
Spray 6 ramekins and set aside.  Combine cream, eggs, cheese, salt and cayenne and whisk well.  Divide the mixture between the ramekins. 
Place the ramekins in a dish, and fill up the baking dish with hot water until the water reaches halfway up the ramekins.  Cover with foil, and bake for 30-35 minutes (I cooked ours for at least 45, and they could've cooked quite a bit longer).  Remove from the oven and cool.  Serve with salad.

Paula Deen's Corrie's Thai-Style Chicken

We had this chicken from Paula Deen's family cookbook the other night, and it was a flop.  This wasn't bad, it just didn't have very much flavor, and we were all disappointed.  I followed the recipe exactly, and I don't know why, but it was super duper bland.  Aaron gave it a 3, and the boys and I gave it a 5.  The calories for 4 servings, per serving with the rice are 471 calories.

Corrie’s Thai-Style Chicken and Veggies

3 T olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into strips

Salt and pepper

2 c chicken broth

1 c unsweetened coconut milk

1 c broccoli florets

8 ears canned baby corn, cut crosswise in half

½ c drained canned sliced bamboo shoots

1 T sweet chili sauce

1 T Asian fish sauce

Juice of ½ lime

1 T cornstarch

Rice for serving

1.       In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes.  Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until just done, 5-7 minutes.  Remove the chicken and reserve.

2.       In the same pan, combine the broth, coconut milk, broccoli, baby corn, bamboo shoots, chili sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice.  Boil gently until the broccoli is just tender, 3-4 minutes.

3.       Meanwhile, in a small cup, combine the cornstarch with 1 T water and stir until smooth.  Add the cornstarch to the pan and let boil, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Add the chicken and simmer until heated through.  Serve with rice.

Farfalle with Broccoli Rabe Pesto and Sausage

This was an epic failure :)  We despised this.  It is called Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe Pesto and Sausage from Anne Burrell's cookbook Cook Like A Rock Star.  So far, we have really enjoyed all the recipes from Anne Burrell that we have tried, but this one we did not.  I will post the recipe in the cookbook, not with the modifications I made, because maybe it would've been better if I hadn't made any alterations (mine were minor) but I doubt it, since I think the broccoli rabe was the problem.  We had never tried that vegetable before, and it was so bitter it was unpalatable for us.  The calories for 8 servings the way I made it were 457/serving and Noah gave this a 2, Owen gave it a 3, and I gave it a 4 because I was having wishful thinking since it was new and healthy.  Here's the recipe from the cookbook:

For the Pesto

Salt
2 bunches of broccolini (broccoli rabe), tough lower stems removed, coarsely chopped
1/2 c chopped pistachios
3/4 c freshly grated parmesan
1/4 c mascarpone
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (if needed)

For the Pasta

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb orecchiette
Olive Oil
Parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.  Drop the rabe into the water, give it a swish, and remove it immediately, saving the water to cook your pasta in later.
2. Reserve 1 c of the rabe.  Toss the rest in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse paste.  Add the pistachios and Parmesan and puree until smooth.  If it seems dry, drizzle in a little olive oil while the machine is running (I didn't need this).  Add the mascarpone and pulse until combined; taste for seasoning.  It should be slightly bitter, nutty, and creamy at the same time.  Reserve.
3. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat.  Add the sausage, using a spoon to break it up, and cook until brown and crumbly, 8-10 minutes.
4. Bring your broccolini water back to a boil and toss in the pasta.  Cook til al dente and drain, reserving 1/2 c pasta water.  Add to the sausage pan with the water, the reserved broccoli rabe, and 2/3 of the pesto.  Stir to combine and cook until the water evaporates and the pesto is clinging to the pasta.  Remove from the heat, drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with more parmesan, and stir vigorously to combine.  Serve immediately.

Maybe our broccolini was super bitter, but we'll never have this again :)

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup

A few weeks ago we had Michael Symon's Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup.  This was really tasty, but way too spicy for us.  The kids really didn't like it, and only gave it a 3, but Aaron and I liked it quite a bit, the flavor was awesome, it was just over the top spicy.  I'll make it again, but with way less srirachca.  We found the recipe in Michael Symon's Live To Cook, which is the cookbook I'm working through right now.  No picture, sorry, but here's the recipe.

2 T olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice (I just used regular canned tomatoes)
1 1/2 c chicken stock
3/4 c heavy cream
2 T sriracha sauce (I would use 2 t probably)
1 T fresh oregano leaves
1/2 c Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue Cheese (I used just a regular blue cheese)

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and a large pinch of salt and sweat for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and continue to sweat for 2 more minutes.  Add the tomatoes, their juice, and the stock and bring to a simmer.  Add the cream, sriracha sauce, and oregano and simmer for 45 minutes.  Pour the soup into a blender (I used an immersion blender), add the blue cheese, and blend until smooth, working in batches if needed.  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and reheat to serve.  The soup will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for a few days.

I would definitely recommend trying this, but be careful with the sriracha :)

Cube Steak with Easy Sauce

We had some cube steak with an easy sauce and rice tonight.  Aaron didn't like it, but the boys and I did.  I gave it an 8, Owen gave it a 9, Noah gave it a perfect 10, and Aaron gave it a 3.  It didn't have enough seasoning to it, and since I don't have a crockpot here, the meat wasn't tender like I hoped it would be, but it was easy and tasty.
1 lb cube steaks
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c beef broth
1/2 onion
seasonings to taste
rice

Cook it all together in a pot in the crockpot hopefully, or in the oven if not able to use a crockpot.  Serve with rice.

One of the fun things about this was we used local beef we bought at the farmers market.  It's fun to be able to buy local, clean meat from farmers here.

Applesauce Spice Bars

Applesauce Spice Bars
Pages 117-118, Baking: From my home to yours Dorie Greenspan
For the Bars1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar (I used dark brown for this and the glaze)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon applejack, brandy or dark rum (optional) (I didn't use this)
1 baking apple, such as Rome or Cortland, peeled, cored and finely diced or chopped (I used a honey crisp apple)
1/2 cup plump, moist raisins (dark or golden) (I used pomegranite Craisins, because that's what I had and I like them better :))
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I didn't use these, I don't like nuts and my kids can't have nuts in their classes)
For the Glaze2-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-13 inch baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust the inside of the pan with flour. Tap out the excess flour and put the pan on a baking sheet.
THE BARS: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
Still working in the saucepan, whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they are well blended. Add the applesauce, vanilla and applejack, if you’re using it, and whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear, then mix in the apple, raisins and nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let the cake cool while you make the glaze.
THE GLAZE: In a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, whisking frequently. Adjust the heat so that the glaze simmers, and cook, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Turn the bars out onto a rack, remove the paper and invert the bars onto another rack, so they are right side up. Slide the parchment paper under the rack to serve as a drip catcher, grab a long metal icing spatula and pour the hot glaze over the bars, using the spatula to spread it evenly over the cake. Let cool to room temperature before cutting.
Cut into 32 rectangles, each about 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

Storing: In a covered container, the bars will keep for about 3 days at room temperature. Because of the glaze, they cannot be frozen.

I was so happy to feel a little like baking again, and although it didn't last long, I made these and have really been enjoying them since.  Noah and I really liked them, I gave them a 9, Noah gave them an 8, and Owen and Aaron didn't like them very much, not really surprising since they weren't brownies or chocolate chip cookies.  Owen gave them a 5 and Aaron gave them a 3.  At least I enjoyed making them and Noah and I enjoy eating them :)  I like that they are full of fruit, and that they are so easy to make.  Quick, smell good, easy food.  Perfect when pregnant :)

Apple Cider Oatmeal

I love oatmeal for breakfast.  Maybe it's the fact that I ate it so often growing up, and compared to lumpy cream of wheat and cracked wheat mush, oatmeal was the clear winner, or maybe it's just such a treat to have something healthy and filling that tastes so good.  Either way, I could eat oatmeal every day.  We don't, but I could :).  I've wanted to try this recipe for a while, doesnt' Apple Cider Oatmeal sound delicious?  Well, it was really good, Owen and I both gave it a 7, and Noah, who only likes fruit n cream instant oatmeal, gave it a 3.  I think he liked it better than that, he ate it quite well, he just was mad at me because it wasn't the instant stuff...sigh :)  Anyway, this is a really quick recipe to put together.  I made a double serving, since three of us were eating it, and I cooked it on the stove.  I used quick oats because we were already running behind our usual get ready for school schedule, so I needed this to cook quickly.  Also, I used a fuji apple because I didn't have any granny smith, and I didn't add nuts because I don't like nuts :).  I also added 2 T brown sugar at the end.  The wheat germ added some nice density to the oatmeal, it was a really hearty breakfast.  The calories for 1 serving were 234 the way I made it, since I took two servings and divided it in 3.  If you only made it into two servings, the calories were 350. 
Tomorrow we're finally having that fish and green beans.  I promise :)

Rouladen and Rotkohl

So I was sooo excited for dinner tonight, and I thought everyone was going to love this.  Turns out, I'm the only one that loved this.  This just brings back memories of Germany, and I really began to love food and cooking while I was there.  My host mother was an awesome cook, and rouladen, or beef rolls, were some of my favorite things, and rotkohl, or red cabbage, was definitely one of my favorite things.I followed the basic rotkohl recipe I found on the internet, and tweaked it a little bit.  I thought it needed more sugar and vinegar, and it could've definitely used more bacon, bacon grease, and flavorings.  I added more vinegar and sugar, and more salt and seasonings, but I didn't add any more bacon or grease.  The calories are about 150 per serving with the changes I made, if you eat a really big serving, but I think the calories for 1/16 of the total rather than 1/8 are only about 75, so fairly healthy.  This wasn't perfect, but it was Rotkohl and I'm happy to have it.  I'll be freezing it to stuff my holiday birds with, yummy!!!  Noah gave this a 2, he really didn't like it, Aaron gave it a 3, he also didn't like it, Owen gave it a 6, he thought it was okay, and I gave it an 8, because it wasn't perfect like it is in Germany, but it was still really good.
Next comes the rouladen, which fared better for us.  Noah and I gave them a 9, Aaron gave them a 7, and Owen gave them an 8.  I was worried the pickles would make the boys not like them, but they didn't mind them at all.  The calories for 1 rouladen are 426, and man they taste great ;).  Here's the recipe I used, it's just a variation of other recipes you can find all over the internet.

Rouladen
4 steaks, pounded thin
4 t dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 onions, sliced
4 pickle spears, chopped
4 slices bacon, cut in half
2 c beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 dashes magi
2 T sour cream
1 t corn starch

Take steaks and season with salt and pepper.  Put 1 teaspoon of mustard on each steak, then lay 2 halves of bacon side by side on the steak.  Put in onions and pickles, then roll up the meat and secure with a toothpick (Aaron accidentally threw out my toothpicks so I couldn't secure my rolls, stinker!).  Brown the steaks in a little bacon grease with the rest of the onions, and then add in the 2 c of beef broth, bay leaf, magi, and any other seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for at least 1 hour.  When ready to serve, remove the rouladen from the sauce and bring the sauce to a boil.  Add in cornstarch mixed in cold water, thicken the gravy, then strain out the onions.  Add in the sour cream to the gravy, and season to taste.  Serve with the rouladen.

At least I was happy with dinner, even if no one else was.  We probably won't have this again, even though I was happy to have this.

Tomorrow we're having a chicken dish.

Braciole, Frozen Hot Chocolate, Snickerdoodle Truffles and Creme Brulee

We had lots of fun new food today, and we'll start with dinner. We had braciole from Anne Burrell, and this was a delicious meal.  I cut the recipe in half, except for the sauce, and we served it with pasta.  I cooked it in the crockpot, and so I'm not sure if that's why there wasn't quite enough flavor, or if it was the recipe, but I felt like the filling didn't have enough flavor.  We all gave this an 8, and the calories for one roll with lots of sauce are 451.  The sauce in this picture looks yellow/green and oily, but it was really yummy and not greasy.  Oh well.

Next we had the frozen hot chocolate we've planned on having a few days. This was a disappointment. It was too icy and not chocolatey enough. I gave it a 3, Aaron gave it a 5, Noah gave it an 8, and Owen gave it a 6.  I think we'll just have some cold chocolate milk next time and save the dirty dishes and work.  The calories were 167 for 1/4 of the recipe using skim milk.  Noah enjoyed it the most, as you can see from this cute picture :).

For dessert we had snickerdoodle creme brulee and it was divine.  Aaron only gave it a 6 because he said it was too rich, but man the rest of us really liked it.  Noah and I gave it a 9, and Owen gave it an 8.  The first picture is of the snickerdoodle cookie dough truffles, which you need for the creme brulee.  Owen and I gave them a 9, and Noah gave them a perfect 10.  The calories for 1 truffle, I made 28 of them, were 134/truffle.  The calories for the creme brulee, I made 8 of them with 1 truffle in the bottom of each dish, were 344/brulee.  Yum! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend, we're having a bread pudding tomorrow.

Chicken and Zucchini and Potatoes

So tonight was not one of our favorite dinner nights, but it was pretty good. We'll start with the chicken. The recipe was Chicken with Vinegar and Garlic, and the recipe is found in the Italian Slow Cooker cookbook and here's the recipe:
Chicken with Vinegar and Garlic
Skinless, bone-in chicken (we used 2 thighs and 2 legs)
3 3 inch pieces fresh rosemary
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4 c sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 c beef broth (or red wine)
2 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Salt and pepper the chicken.  Place the chicken in the crockpot, arrange tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary around chicken.  Pour broth and vinegar over everything.  Cook on low for at least 5 hours, better if longer.

We liked this alright, it had a pretty good, if muted flavor, and it was super easy. Owen gave it an 8, and the rest of us gave it a 7. The calories are 305/serving.

Our veggie for tonight was not great.  It was also found in the Italian Slowcooker cookbook, and part of the problem was mine.  I didn't check which setting to place the crockpot on, so I put it on low and the veggies didn't get done.  Sigh...Anyway, here's the recipe:
Zucchini and Potatoes:
2 zucchinis
1 onion
2 potatoes
1/2 t oregano
1/4 c water
1 T olive oil

Place everything in crockpot and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours on high.  Make sure potatoes are done before serving.

I can't fairly rate this, because of having to microwave the veggies and still not having the potatoes done, but what we had only got a 3 from Aaron, a 4 from me, and Owen gave it an 8 and Noah a 5. Besides Owen we really didn't like this. The potatoes were bland, and everything except the zucchini was undercooked. The total calories for 1/6 of the total were 99. Try it and let me know if it's better when it's cooked correctly :).
Tomorrow we're having PW's Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich.

Pioneer Woman's Pan Fried Kale, Mozzarella Sticks, and Inside Out Burgers

Tonight we had this recipe which I made a few changes to.  I don't do the mushrooms, I cut the amounts in half so we have smaller burgers, I don't add the oil, and I use other kinds of cheeses.  We used pepperjack tonight.  The total calories for the burgers were 577/burger using a small bun.  We gave them an 8, mainly because the calories are so high.  We also made pan fried kale from the Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook, only 40 calories, and we gave it a 3.  We just didn't like it, sigh :(  The fried mozzarella we also took out of the Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook, and we loved those.  They were 125 calories/ cheese stick, and although I couldn't get them to stay together well, they were so tasty.  They also received an 8.  The burgers and cheese sticks were both easy and delicious, if a little high in calories :).  Tomorrow we're having a chicken and rice dish, and we're having some muffins as well.