Flour's Cheddar Scallion Scones

I grew up eating a cheesy onion bread made from Bisquick, and it was one of our family's favorite things.  This reminds me of that bread, and I think this was even better, although not everyone else agreed with me.  Aaron gave these a 5, Owen gave them a 7, and Noah and I gave them an 8.  I thought the cornmeal was a little bit distracting, but I liked everything else.  This comes from Flour's cookbook, and again, that is such a great cookbook!  Each scone was 351 calories, and it makes 8 scones.

1 3/4 c flour
1/2 c medium-coarse yellow corn meal
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cumin
3 oz cheddar cheese, diced
5 green onions, minced
1/2 c cold unsalted butter, cut into 8-10 pieces
1/2 c cold buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream
1 cold egg
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350.  Using a paddle attachment on a stand mixer, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cumin, cheese, and scallions on low speed for 10-15 seconds.  Scatter the butter over the top and beat on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the butter is broken down to grape-size pieces.  Whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and the whole egg until thoroughly mixed.  Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and beat for about 30 seconds.  Turn the dough several times in the bowl to pick up the extra flour.  Dump the dough onto a baking sheet and pat it into an 8 inch circle about 1 inch thick.  Brush the egg yolk evenly over the entire top of the dough circle.  Cut the circle into 8 wedges, then bake for 40-50 minutes or until the entire circle is golden brown.  Cool for 30 minutes, then cut and serve.

We spread ours with some butter, and ate with our dinner.  Yummy!!!

Mediterranean Egg Scramble

This easy recipe from Our Best Bites wasn't a hit at our house, only I really liked it.  Mediterranean Egg Scramble is really good!

 

Owen and Noah gave this a 7, Aaron gave it a 5, and I gave it an 8.  This is so easy, I loved it.

For 1/4 of the total, the calories are 204.  Here's what you do.

 

6 eggs

1/4 c sour cream

1/2 t basil

1/4 t oregano

1/4 t garlic salt

pinch of salt

2 green onions, chopped

3/4 c feta

1/2 red pepper, chopped

cooking spray

 

Spray a large fry pan.  Add in red pepper.  Mix together sour cream, eggs, and spices.  Then add in the feta and pour into the pan with the red pepper.  Last add the green onions and serve. 

 

The original recipe says to wrap them in crepes or tortillas, that was more work than I wanted to go to, so we just had scrambled eggs.

Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

So I normally love the food I've tried from Lauren's Latest blog, but this salted caramel apple crumble, unfortunately, was a flop for me.  I gave it as high as I did because it wasn't terrible, but we were all severely disappointed.  This smelled and looked wonderful, and the caramel tasted great, but the salty apples just ruined this for us.  Also, the crumble topping was too salty too :(.  This was easy to put together, and I followed the recipe exactly except for putting less salt than it called for on the apples, but it just didn't work for our family.  1/8 of the total was 477 calories, and Oma and Opa gave it a 7, Aaron and Noah gave it a 6, I gave it a 5, and Owen gave it a 4.  Oh well, we won't make this again.

for the caramel sauce-
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
for the crumble-
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
for the apples-
4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the caramel sauce- heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat to melt sugar. Continue cooking and swirling sugar until it turns amber in color. Whisk in sea salt and heavy cream. Mixture will bubble up violently briefly. Continue whisking until sauce is smooth in consistency. Stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside.
For the crumble- combine all ingredients together using a stand mixer. Mixture will be crumbly, but stay together when squeezed. Set aside.
Prepare apples and toss in lemon juice. Cook apples in a large cast iron skillet over medium low heat in butter to draw out moisture. Sprinkle with salt to draw out all the moisture possible. Drain apples and place back into skillet. This process should take about 5-7 minutes of cooking.
Pour 3/4 of prepared caramel sauce into the apples and stir gently. Top with the crumble topping. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and serve with remaining caramel sauce.

Nacho Chicken Tortillas

 

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 cup water                                                                               
2 cups salsa                                        
1 1/4 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice                                                                               
1.25  pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast tendersSalt

Stir the soup, water, picante sauce and rice in a 4-quart slow cooker.  Salt the chicken and add the chicken and turn to coat.                                                    

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board.  Using 2 forks, shred the chicken.  Return the chicken to the cooker and stir.

                                                                                                               

 

So I bought some cheddar cheese soup for a recipe I planned on making, and then I didn't want to make that recipe, so I had condensed cheddar cheese soup sitting around.  Enter google search :).  Here is where you can find the original recipe.  I found this, thought it sounded great and easy, and we made it.  Noah gave it a perfect 10, Owen gave it a 5 because he thought it was too spicy, and I gave it a 9.  The rice could've been a little less well done, but other than that I thought it was awesome.  For 1/12 of the total, which is a ton of food, the calories are 180.  I think it would be better split into 24 helpings.  Anyway, this turned out well, and I'm glad I didn't try the nacho cheese soup.  Mexican and soup just doesn't appeal to me, although I know lots of people like it like that.

Cranberry Orange Spice Muffins

Yay!  Baby is coming today!  We had these very healthy muffins the other day, and I made them just a little less healthy, because I don't like any sugar substitutes.

These were kind of a disappointment, because the cloves were overpowering, but I liked the texture and the taste mostly.  I also liked how healthy they were.  Noah and I gave them a 7, Owen gave them a 5, and Aaron gave them a 6.  You can find the original recipe here, but here is how I made them, changing the spice amounts, and they were still too clovey for us.  I don't know how anyone could eat them the way the original recipe suggested.  We made 12 muffins, and the calories for 1 muffin were 154 the way I made them.

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c oats
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves (next time I will lower this to 1/8 t probably)
1/2 t nutmeg (I'll also lower this amount and maybe add some vanilla for flavor)
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
2/3 c skim milk
1/2 c sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c Craisins
1 medium orange, zested

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a muffin tin and set aside.  Combine flour, oats, spices, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.
Combine milk, sugar, egg and applesauce.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, then stir until just moistened.  Gently stir in cranberries and orange zest.  Pour into muffin tins, and bake for about 10-12 minutes.  (I cooked mine longer, about 14 minutes). 

Dorie Greenspan's Rice Pudding

We tried Dorie Greenspan's rice pudding from her cookbook Baking: From My Home To Yours, and this was only pretty good :(.  I love rice pudding, it is such comfort food for me, but even though I followed the recipe exactly, it didn't turn out.  It didn't set up, it was soupy.  Sad.  Aaron gave it a 4, Owen gave it a 5, and Noah and I gave it a 7.  We had some strawberry sauce on top, and that was good, but the soupiness really was off-putting.  Here is a link to the recipe, scroll down to see the recipe in English, and after searching the internet, I found out that everyone had soupy rice, that this needed to cook for at least 45 minutes, but more like an hour.  Hmm...kind of frustrating, but I will probably try this again given my love of rice pudding.  One poster said to use 1/2 c rice instead of 1/4 c, so I may try that as well.  The calories for a serving, we made 6 servings, were 284.  I would try this with the modifications suggested, and definitely serve it with some sauce.  Also, I didn't try the chocolate variation, because I like me some plain old rice pudding ;).

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.

Anne Burrell's Garlic Steamed Mussels

We tried something new tonight, which is always fun.  I bought some mussels from my local market and we tried steamed mussels tonight.  They taste very similar to crab, not surprising, but they were tender, not rubbery.  Maybe it's because they were fresh, or maybe it was the mussels I bought, who knows.  Anyway, I followed mostly Anne Burrell's recipe for garlic steamed mussels, but I didn't serve them with Aioli which is how Anne suggests serving them.  I instead made pasta, and then was lazy and didn't make a very good sauce, just used the cooking broth and added some cream to it.  It had good flavor, but I should've reduced the sauce so it wasn't so watery.  Oh well.  Aaron gave this a 5, I gave it a 6, Owen gave it a perfect 10, and Noah gave it an 8.  It wasn't fabulous, but it was super quick and easy, dinner on the table in 15 minutes.  The calories for the sauce (which we had very little of, but if you eat the entire sauce, this would be the calories), mussels, and pasta all together were 515.  Here's what I did:

1 lb fresh mussels
1 t olive oil
4 garlic cloves
2 sprigs rosemary
3 bay leaves
4 c chicken broth
1/2 c cream
1/2 lb pasta

Wash the mussels and discard any open ones.  Cook olive oil and minced garlic cloves in a large pan.  When the garlic is browned and flavorful, throw in the mussels and coat them in the garlic and oil.  Add in the chicken broth, rosemary and bay leaves, and cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until the mussels have all opened.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta in well-salted water until ready to eat.  Remove the mussels from the broth, then reduce the broth.  Add in the cream, and a little parmesan if desired.  Serve with the pasta.

Anne Burrell's Killer Mac & Cheese with Bacon

This was a disappointment.  I thought this couldn't get any better, bacon and macaroni and cheese, but there just wasn't enough cheese flavor.  Everyone loved the bacon, but the mac and cheese was uninspired.  Oh well.  We gave this a 5, and we cut the recipe in half, which are the amounts I'm typing in here.  This recipe was found in Anne Burrell's Cook Like A Rock Star cookbook, and the calories for a serving were 442 for 6 servings.

1 T extra virgin olive oil
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 1/2 T butter
1/2 onion, diced
salt
1/4 c flour
2 c whole milk, plus more if needed (I added another 1/3 c in)
1/2 pound short pasta
1 c (3 oz) extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 c (3 oz) Fontina cheese, grated
1/2 c (1.5 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T Dijon mustard
Dash of sriracha (Anne suggests Tabasco or other hot sauce, I used the sriracha)

Cook olive oil and bacon in a pan.  Cook until crispy, then remove bacon to a paper towel.  Add the butter and onion to the bacon fat, season with salt, and cook until onion is soft.  Add the four and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk, season with salt, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream.  Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente; drain and reserve.
Add the cheeses to the milk mixture and whisk to combine, then add the mustard and hot sauce and taste to check seasoning.  Add a little more milk if the mixture is too thick, then stir in the bacon and pasta.  Serve immediately or transfer to a baking dish and reheat in the oven at 375.

Curried Chicken and Apple Pita

We had this chicken and apple pita for lunch, and it was a good lunch, but we found the recipe had to many apples in it for our taste.  The original recipe says to chop the apples, and then later it says use the apples grated.  I wish I had grated the apples instead of chopping them, and only used one apple instead of two.  Aaron gave this a 5, and the rest of us gave it a 7.  The calories for 1 pita were 258, and the recipe made six pitas for us.  For the original recipe, follow the link above, but here is the way I made the recipe:

1 T olive oil
5 chicken tenders (seasoned)
1/2 onion chopped
2 t coriander
2 whole granny smith apples chopped
1 t curry powder
1 t garam masala
1/2 c ricotta
1 T milk
1 T sour cream
salt and pepper
6 pitas

Heat olive oil in a pan, then add the seasoned chicken tenders.  Cook until done, then add in onion and cook until softened.  Remove to cool.  Mix all the ingredients together except for pitas.  Serve with warmed pitas immediately, or cool for a little while in the fridge.

Like I said, this would've been better with less apples and with the apples grated, but still it was really good.

Cheesy Taco Pasta

I have Owen help out with dinner sometimes so he can learn about cooking, and he's great about helping although he really doesn't like cooking :).  He helped me make this easy dish, called Cheesy Taco Pasta, and although it wasn't a super hit here at the house, it was fast and easy, so we like that!
The link above is to the original recipe, and I made a few changes based on what I had in the house.  For six servings, the calories per serving are 406, and Aaron gave it a 5, Owen and I gave it a 7, and Noah gave it an 8.  Here's the recipe the way I prepared it.

1/2 lb pasta
1/2 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 1/2 c enchilada sauce
1/2 c water
2 c cheese
1/4 c cream

Prepare pasta and set aside.  Cook ground beef, then drain of all fat.  Add water and taco seasoning packet, then add the enchilada sauce.  Cook together, then add cheese and cream.  Serve immediately.

Like I said, this is fast and easy, and although not super popular, it's worth it for an easy dinner.

Whipped Root Vegetables

We had these whipped root vegetables the other night, and we didn't love them :)  Owen gave them a 4, Noah gave them a 5, and Aaron and I gave them a 7, because they just weren't fabulous.  We found the recipe in Michael Symon's Live to Cook cookbook.  The celery root really overpowered everything else, so it just wasn't as appetizing as we would have liked.  Here is the recipe with the amounts I used:

Salt
2 potatoes
1 celery root
2 turnips
2 parsnips
2 sticks unsalted butter

Cook the peeled and chopped up vegetables in well salted water.  Boil until the vegetables are softened, and can be pricked with a fork easily.  Drain, then cook over low heat for 5 minutes to get rid of the excess moisture.  Put the veggies through a food mill (I don't have one of these, I just beat them with beaters, and they didn't smash up as well as I would have liked), and then add the butter and more salt to taste.  Serve.

Potatoes with Arugula

So we had this warm kind of potato salad, and it was fabulous.  Both Aaron and I really enjoyed it, we gave it a 9, and the boys liked the potatoes, but not the arugula, big surprise there.  Noah gave it a 5 and Owen gave it a 6.  We got the recipe from Michael Symon's Live to Cook cookbook, and it is simple and delicious.

2 lbs red potatoes
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c cream
2 T coarse ground Dijon mustard
2 T butter, unsalted
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 lb arugula

Cook the potatoes in well salted boiling water until soft, then peel if desired (I didn't peel) and chop into bite size pieces.  Cook cream, chicken broth, and mustard until thickened and reduced, then add in potatoes and then add in the butter, salt and pepper to taste, and add in the arugula until wilted, then serve.

This was easy, and hopefully I didn't leave out any steps.  I'll upload my pictures soon, sorry they aren't on here yet!

Linguine with Heirloom Tomato, Capers, Anchovies, and Chile

So we had Michael Symon's pasta a few days ago, and I thought it was okay, and that's all anyone else thought too.  I was sick when I made it, and so I don't know if I did it right or not, and I know it didn't turn out how we wanted, but I'm not sure I can blame the recipe on that.  Anyway, we all gave it between a 4 and 5.  One fun thing I got to do was make my own pasta, since I received a pasta maker for Christmas this year, so the pasta was homemade for this meal.  Fun!

Here's the recipe

kosher salt
1 c dried bread crumbs
1 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (I used less)
Pasta dough cut into linguine
1 large brandywine heirloom tomato, about 1 cup
6 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, filleted, and minced
1 T salt-packed capers, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c sliced flat leaf parsley leaves

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta and add salt until it tasted seasoned.  Toast the bread crumbs in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing as needed, until lightly browned, about 3 or 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sweat it for 2 minutes.  Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the tomato, anchovies, and caper to the sauté pan, bring to a simmer, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the tomato has released its juices and the anchovies have melted into the sauce.  Remove the sauce from the heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil and parsley.
Strain the pasta and add it directly to the sauce.  Toss well before dividing among four bowls.  Top with the bread crumbs.

This was from Michael Symon's Live To Cook cookbook, and again, we didn't love this.  However, it was alright, and maybe another time when I can actually taste and smell again, we'll try it again.

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 :)

Halibut and Green Beans

Tonight we had dinner made by Aaron, and it was fabulous!  Thanks honey!!!  We had Pan-Roasted Halibut Steaks with Anchovy-Garlic Butter with Lemon and Parsley from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook.  This was a quick and easy dish to make, and had tons of flavor.  Halibut is a treat for us, it's really expensive so we just eat salmon or tilapia usually, but I found these steaks on sale and bought them.  Here's the recipe:

Pan-Roasted Halibut Steaks
2 T olive oil
2 Halibut Steaks
Preheat oven to 425.  Heat the oil in a 12 inche skillet over high heat until the oil just begins to smoke.  Sprinkle both sides of the halibut steaks generously with salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat to medium-high and swirl the oil to coat the pan.  Carefully lay the steaks in the pan and sear, without moving them, until spotty brown, about 4 minutes.  Off the heat, flip the steaks over in the pan.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, and the fish flakes loosen and the fish is opaque, about 9 minutes.  Serve immediately with flavored butter.

Anchovy-Garlic Butter with Lemon and Parsley
4 T unsalted butter, softened
1 anchovy fillet, minced to a paste
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 t lemon juice
2 T minced parsley
1/2 t salt
Beat the butter with a fork until light and fluffy.  Stir in the remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Dollop a portion of the butter over the hot pieces of cooked fish and allow the butter to melt.  Serve immediately.

So this was only 263 calories per serving, including the butter, and this was delicious!  Noah and I gave it a 9, and Owen and Aaron gave it an 8.  It had great flavor, and we really liked it. 
Now on to the green beans.  We used the recipe from the Pioneer Woman for her Green Bean Casserole, and Aaron and I really liked it.  Aaron thought he wouldn't, but it was really good and flavorful.  The boys thought it was a little too spicy, but Aaron and I thought it added interest to the casserole.  Soooo good.  This was 291 for 1/8 of the total, and although it was more complicated and took longer to make, it is definitely worth the time.  I would cook the green beans longer, but other than that I wouldn't change anything about this recipe.  I gave it a 9, Aaron gave it an 8, Owen gave it a 6, and Noah gave it a 5. 

Tomorrow we're having lasagna.

Honey Garlic Chicken and Garlic-Lemon Green Beans with Toasted Bread Crumbs

This was a really great dinner tonight.  Everyone except for Noah really enoyed it.  We gave the chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken, an 8 (Owen and I), Aaron gave it a 7, and Noah gave it a 5.  We used four thighs, and the calories for one serving, or one fourth, were 303.  This was fast and easy, and tasted really good.  We'll have this again.  I used frozen thighs, and it was done in just over five hours.
Our green beans were from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook, and just like all their recipes, this turned out great.  I cooked it a little longer than the recipe called for, and I used panko instead of fresh bread crumbs, but other than that I followed the recipe.  Aaron and I gave the beans an 8, and Owen and Noah gave them a 7.  The calories for 1/4 of the recipe, which is quite a big serving, were 195.  Here's the recipe:
Garlic-Lemon Green Beans with Toasted Bread Crumbs
2 slices high-quality sandwich bread, each slice torn into quarters (I used 1/2 c panko because I just didn't want to do more dishes)
3 T unsalted butter
salt and pepper
2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 t flour
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1 t minced fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
1 c chicken broth
1 T lemon juice

1. Process the bread in a food processor to even, fine crumbs.  (I obviously omitted this step.  I just melted the butter and stirred the panko into it.)  Heat 1 T of the butter in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; when melted, add teh bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/4 t salt, 1/8 t pepper, and the cheese; set aside.
2.  Wipe out the skillet.  Add the remaining 2 T butter, the garlic, and 1/4 t salt; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden, 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the flour, red pepper flakes, and thyme, then toss in the green beans.  Add the chicken broth and increase the heat to medium-high; cover and cook until the beans are partly tender but still crisp at the center, about 4 minutes.  Uncover an dcook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 4 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and serve.

Again, I cooked this longer than it said, because we like our beans pretty tender, and this was great!

Tomorrow we're having some lamb and risotto.

Pork and Beans!

We laughed when we realized we were having pork and beans tonight.  That is not what it tasted like, but it really is what we had.  I made the beans using a recipe from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook, and I altered it because I don't like leaving food cooking on my stove top for hours at a time.  Here's the recipe the way I made it, and it's called White Beans with Garlic, Sage and Tomatoes.

Pork and White Beans with Garlic, Sage, and Tomatoes7 1/2 c water
1 lb great northern beans
2 small carrots, chopped in fourths
1 onion, chopped in half, not peeled
2 bay leaves
1 head garlic, top chopped off so cloves are exposed
salt
1/4 c olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1/4 c sage, roughly chopped
28 oz canned tomatoes
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into medallions

In a large crockpot, place beans, water, carrots, onion, head of garlic, and 1 t salt.  Cook on high for 4 hours, then turn to low.  Cook until 1/2 hour before ready to serve dinner.  When beans are done, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then remove the garlic head and set aside.  Drain the beans, discard the bay leaves, the onion, and the carrots.  Smoosh out the soft garlic into the beans, and set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced garlic and the sage to the oil, and shake the pan to evenly brown the garlic and sage.  Add in the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper the pork to taste, then add the pork, the reserved bean water, and the bean mixture to the tomatoes.  Cook for about 20 mintues, stirring occasionally, until the beans have thickened and the pork is cooked through.  Serve.

Noah and I really enjoyed this, he gave it a 9 and I gave it an 8.  Aaron only gave it a 5, he felt it was bland, and Owen gave it a 6 but I can't tell you his reasons ;).  The calories for 1/8 of the total were 260 per serving.

Tomorrow I'm making a cake for my Dad's birthday...yummy :)  I love good excuses to make cake!

Greek Style Chicken and Potatoes and Salad

Tonight we had Greek Style Chicken and Potatoes from tastykitchen.com, and we all enjoyed this.  We gave it an 8, and the calories for 1/4 of it, since we only used 4 thighs, and 3 T of olive oil was 423 calories per serving.This is a great recipe, but I like to add about 4-5 cloves of garlic along with the olive oil and lemon juice, and I brine the chicken for at least 1/2 hour in salty water to add more flavor. 
For our salad, we had a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis's Everyday Pasta cookbook called Anytime Vegetable Salad.  We made 6 servings out of this, and each serving was 156 calories.

Anytime Vegetable Salad

2 c frozen edamame, shelled (I used steam in the bag, so I'm not sure how much I used)

8 oz thin green beans, trimmed

9 oz yellow wax beans, trimmed (i just used more green beans)

1/3 c red wine vinegar
1 t salt, plus more to taste
¾ t freshly ground black pepper
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ c halved cherry tomatoes
2 t chopped fresh basil or tarragon
1 t chopped fresh thyme leaves

Cook the edamame in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain.  Rinse under cold water, then drain well and pat dry.  Repeat with the green beans and yellow beans.  Leave the green and yellow beans whole or cut them crosswise into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces.

Whisk the vinegar, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.  Gradually whisk in the oil.  Add the beans, tomatoes, basil, and thyme, and toss to coat.  Season the salad to taste with more salt and pepper, and serve.

 

We thought this was only okay.  Aaron and I gave it a 5, and Owen and Noah gave it a 6, but neither one enjoyed it very much. 

Tomorrow we're having rouladen and rotkohl.  Yummy!!!

Chicken Shawarma

Yummy Chicken Shawarma!  We had this easy recipe today, and all of us except my dad really enjoyed it.  My mom, Aaron, Noah and I gave it a 9, Owen gave it an 8, and my dad gave it a 5.  It was too spicy for him, and he didn't love the sauce.  However, he did love my homemade pitas, which were also my favorite part of the meal.  I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com, they are fresh pita bread from Julia Child, and they were amazing.   These had great flavor, were soft and waarm and so great tasting.  We all really liked these, they all got 9.  Even if you don't want to brave the shawarma, which is definitely worth a try, the pitas are easy and so great.  The calories for the pitas are 153/pita, and the shawarma meal with all the toppings but without the pita calories are 215 for 1/8 of the meal.  We got 8 servings out of the meal instead of 4.
Tomorrow we're having a shrimp recipe.