Remember the post about making dinner in the time it takes to boil water? Well I almost did it again. Today I was cleaning out the fridge and found two left over chicken breasts, pasta sauce, half a container of ricotta cheese, and a tiny bit of broccoli. So I decided to make baked ziti with a few additions. I put the water on to boil. Cut up the chicken and put another package of frozen broccoli in the microwave for three minutes. While that was cooking, I put the ricotta into a bowl (there was about 8 ounces) and added half a cup of parmesan cheese and a few shakes of oregano. I then cut up the broccoli florets into smaller pieces. Next, I put a light coating of olive oil on a baking pan. When the pasta was done I drained it and put it back into the pot. I added the chicken and broccoli and gave it a stir. I then added the ricotta cheese mixture, about 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and about 2 cups of the pasta sauce. I gave it a good stir and put all of this into the baking pan. I then sprinkled a little more mozzarella on top, poured on the rest of the pasta sauce and sprinkled on more mozzarella and some parmesan. I covered it with foil and put it in a 350 degree oven for about thirty minutes.
The actual prep took less than 20 minutes! I made a meal with all four food groups and all in one pan in that amount of time. Of course you could leave out the chicken or substitute ground beef or turkey, but then you would have to take the time to brown it. You could also leave out the broccoli, I just try to sneak in veggies whenever I can. If you don't have pasta sauce made, you can always use sauce in a jar. (Just don't tell my grandmother!) Now I will tell you that I used a pound of pasta and with the other ingredients, it made a very large pan. I wish I had put it into two smaller ones, so I could have frozen half. Next time.
Give this a try and let me know. Please feel free to post comments in the comment section below this post. I would love it if you would, just so I can see that it works! Thanks.
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Monday, October 6, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Chili for a Chilly Night
Oh, could I get any cornier? Probably, but I'll save it for another time. I had a busy day today. I went to an outdoor craft festival and had church at 5:00, so a crockpot meal was in order. You could definitely put this meal together in the evening, store it in the fridge and put it in the crockpot before you leave in the morning. I got this recipe for Weeknight Beef Chili from Slow Cooker Revolution published by America's Test Kitchen. It's probably the best chili I have ever made. I didn't change very much. The recipe called for red kidney beans which I really don't care for, so I used the same amount of black beans. Also, it called for canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. I didn't have any, so I left it out. The recipe calls for soy sauce which seems a little weird in a chili recipe. This is one of those ingredients that this cookbook uses often to boost the beefy flavor. They call it umami. The kids were here for dinner and everyone had second helpings. I guess it was a success. Here goes.
Weeknight Beef Chili
2 lbs. ground beef
2 slices white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
3 onions minced
6 cloves garlic minced
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/4 c. chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can of tomato puree
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 16 oz. cans black beans (use kidney beans if you prefer)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
Tear the bread into pieces and soak in the milk. Using your hands, mix this into the beef along with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. In a very large skillet, add the oil, onions, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add the beef mixture and cook until it is no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup of the tomato puree to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add to the crockpot along with the beans, diced tomatoes, remaining tomato puree, soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well. At this point you can put the ceramic pot into your refrigerator and put it into the crockpot before you leave for work. Cook on low for about 6 hours. When chili is finished, let sit a few minutes and skim off any fat that has accumulated at the top. Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and rice if you like. Enjoy.
If you make this, let me know how you liked it. And as always, I welcome questions and comments.
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Weeknight Beef Chili
2 lbs. ground beef
2 slices white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
3 onions minced
6 cloves garlic minced
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/4 c. chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can of tomato puree
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 16 oz. cans black beans (use kidney beans if you prefer)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
Tear the bread into pieces and soak in the milk. Using your hands, mix this into the beef along with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. In a very large skillet, add the oil, onions, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add the beef mixture and cook until it is no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup of the tomato puree to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add to the crockpot along with the beans, diced tomatoes, remaining tomato puree, soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix well. At this point you can put the ceramic pot into your refrigerator and put it into the crockpot before you leave for work. Cook on low for about 6 hours. When chili is finished, let sit a few minutes and skim off any fat that has accumulated at the top. Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and rice if you like. Enjoy.
If you make this, let me know how you liked it. And as always, I welcome questions and comments.
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Saturday, October 4, 2014
A dinner you can make in the time it takes to boil water.
You can make dinner in the time it takes to boil water. What? She can't mean that! No, really I do and you can. Just hear me out. This is a recipe my father taught me to make. I grew up in the fifties. Back then men didn't usually do much cooking, only when it was time to fire up the backyard barbeque did men cook. However, when I got older, my dad would occasionally cook. My mom didn't eat seafood, so that was something my dad did. One time, after I was married and had moved away, I came home for a visit and he made linguine with white clam sauce for me. It was wonderful. It became one of those recipes that I always keep the ingredients on hand. It is super easy and if you begin by putting water on to boil, the sauce will be done the same time the pasta is. Now I am embarrassed to say that I live near the ocean and have never made this with fresh clams. I'm sure I could, but this has become one of those "quick" dinners, and whenever I make it I am usually short on time. I have one of the best fish markets in the area within walking distance of my house, and I promise, now that I have time, I am going to try this recipe with fresh clams. When I do, I will report back. Until then, put the pot of water on the stove to boil, and let's get started!
Dad's Linguini with White Clam Sauce
1 lb. linguine
2 cans chopped clams (6 oz. each)
3-4 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (use only 1 Tablespoon if you are using dried)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
pepper to taste
Begin by putting the water on to boil. Chop garlic and parsley. Open clams and drain reserving juice. Chop clams. Put olive oil and garlic in a skillet and turn the heat on medium. I always put garlic in a cold pan with the olive oil to prevent burning. Garlic is bitter when it is burned. Cook for about 2 minutes and add the clams, cook 2 minutes longer and add the flour. Stir so the flour is mixed in to the oil. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the wine and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to medium high. Sauce should begin to thicken. At this point, the water is probably boiling, add the pasta to the water with a tablespoon of salt. Cook until al dente. Add the reserved clam juice to the skillet along with the parsley and pepper. When sauce begins to bubble, turn down the heat. If the sauce should become too thick, add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water. When the pasta is done, drain. If you have a large enough skillet, add the pasta to the skillet, if not transfer the pasta to a bowl and pour the sauce over. Serve with parmesan cheese and a salad. Now that was quick! Don't tell me you don't have time to cook! If you have time to boil water, you have time to cook.! Try it out and let me know how you liked it. Remember I welcome questions and comments. Check out the comment section at the bottom of each post. Thanks.
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Dad's Linguini with White Clam Sauce
1 lb. linguine
2 cans chopped clams (6 oz. each)
3-4 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (use only 1 Tablespoon if you are using dried)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
pepper to taste
Begin by putting the water on to boil. Chop garlic and parsley. Open clams and drain reserving juice. Chop clams. Put olive oil and garlic in a skillet and turn the heat on medium. I always put garlic in a cold pan with the olive oil to prevent burning. Garlic is bitter when it is burned. Cook for about 2 minutes and add the clams, cook 2 minutes longer and add the flour. Stir so the flour is mixed in to the oil. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the wine and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to medium high. Sauce should begin to thicken. At this point, the water is probably boiling, add the pasta to the water with a tablespoon of salt. Cook until al dente. Add the reserved clam juice to the skillet along with the parsley and pepper. When sauce begins to bubble, turn down the heat. If the sauce should become too thick, add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water. When the pasta is done, drain. If you have a large enough skillet, add the pasta to the skillet, if not transfer the pasta to a bowl and pour the sauce over. Serve with parmesan cheese and a salad. Now that was quick! Don't tell me you don't have time to cook! If you have time to boil water, you have time to cook.! Try it out and let me know how you liked it. Remember I welcome questions and comments. Check out the comment section at the bottom of each post. Thanks.
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Crockpot Herbed Chicken with Kalamata Olives
This is the time of year I bring out the crockpot. Meals cooked in the crockpot always seem like comfort food to me, and this is the time of year for comfort food.
For years I've had many issues with the crockpot and hardly ever used it. First, who wants to do all that work of preparing a meal before you go to work? I am not a morning person, so that was never an option. Second, for years, everything I made in the crockpot tasted the same, dull, bland and overcooked. Then my friend Lisa turned me on to a great cookbook, Slow Cooker Revolution. It's published by America's Test Kitchen. They have a show on PBS that I love to watch. I have several of their cookbooks, and get their magazine, Cooks Illustrated. They test recipes, until they find the best version. I have never made anything bad from one of their recipes.
Back to the crockpot. The people at America's Test Kitchens believe, that you need to develop flavors when using a crockpot, which makes a ton of sense to me, since everything is always so bland. This takes a few extra steps, but it's so worth the time. I also discovered, that I don't need to cook things for 8-12 hours. Usually six hours works just fine. No wonder everything tasted overcooked!
So as I said, my other issue was the prep thing. While I am not a morning person, I do get up in the middle of the night a lot--don't ask. I started preparing things at night, putting them on to cook and turning them off when I woke up to use the bathroom. Then in the morning it was cool enough to put in the refrigerator until dinner. If you have a timer on your crockpot, you can just set the timer and it will be cool in the morning. Ok, so you don't get up in the middle of the night, and your crockpot doesn't have a timer. How about preparing the meal at night, putting the ceramic pot in the fridge overnight and taking it out and turning it on in the morning? The heat is very low, so it won't crack the cold crock. That works!
This recipe is an adaptation from another crockpot cookbook and the techniques I learned from America's Test Kitchen. I know, you are looking at this recipe and thinking, "Is she crazy? There are a million ingredients in this thing! How is this quick and easy?" Trust me, it is. The only ingredient I had to purchase for this meal was the olives. Everything else, I had on hand. Check out my pantry page links at the top of the blog. By the way the prep time for this was just 30 minutes.
Just a quick word about the ingredients. Boneless, skinless thighs work best in the crockpot. They have more flavor, and don't dry out, and they are cheaper, but you can substitute breasts, if that's what you have. I get the olives at the olive bar of my Shop Rite, but if you hate olives, leave them out! Remember what I said in an earlier post; these recipes are meant to be adaptable. If you don't like an ingredient, substitute another or leave it out. I use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil. They keep forever, so I always have them on hand. Now you are thinking, "What do I do with all that leftover tomato paste?" I put it into the freezer. Each time I need it, I defrost it for a minute or two and scrape off the tablespoon or two that I need and put it back into the freezer. I use it often to develop the flavors in crockpot meals, so now I always have it on hand! No big deal! Here we go.
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
12/ cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Begin by chopping the onions and garlic. I use the Pampered Chef chopper and it is a real time saver, and the whole thing goes right into the dishwasher. Combine the garlic, onions, tomato paste, oregano and 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes. This step is where the flavors are developed, so don't leave it out. Transfer onion mixture to the bottom of the crockpot and add bay leaf, rosemary, lemon zest, salt, pepper, tapioca, (for thickening) and sun dried tomatoes. Give a good stir to combine. Put the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Trim any bits of fat off the chicken and add it to the skillet. Cook about five minutes, turning once, just until it begins to lightly brown. Transfer the chicken to the crockpot and cover with lemon slices. Add the wine and chicken broth to the skillet that you used for the chicken. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, just until the alcohol cooks off add this to the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice, orzo, or noodles. Add a green vegetable and you have a great meal.
Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out. Also, let me know any changes or additions you made. Good luck and remember to have fun!
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
For years I've had many issues with the crockpot and hardly ever used it. First, who wants to do all that work of preparing a meal before you go to work? I am not a morning person, so that was never an option. Second, for years, everything I made in the crockpot tasted the same, dull, bland and overcooked. Then my friend Lisa turned me on to a great cookbook, Slow Cooker Revolution. It's published by America's Test Kitchen. They have a show on PBS that I love to watch. I have several of their cookbooks, and get their magazine, Cooks Illustrated. They test recipes, until they find the best version. I have never made anything bad from one of their recipes.
Back to the crockpot. The people at America's Test Kitchens believe, that you need to develop flavors when using a crockpot, which makes a ton of sense to me, since everything is always so bland. This takes a few extra steps, but it's so worth the time. I also discovered, that I don't need to cook things for 8-12 hours. Usually six hours works just fine. No wonder everything tasted overcooked!
So as I said, my other issue was the prep thing. While I am not a morning person, I do get up in the middle of the night a lot--don't ask. I started preparing things at night, putting them on to cook and turning them off when I woke up to use the bathroom. Then in the morning it was cool enough to put in the refrigerator until dinner. If you have a timer on your crockpot, you can just set the timer and it will be cool in the morning. Ok, so you don't get up in the middle of the night, and your crockpot doesn't have a timer. How about preparing the meal at night, putting the ceramic pot in the fridge overnight and taking it out and turning it on in the morning? The heat is very low, so it won't crack the cold crock. That works!
This recipe is an adaptation from another crockpot cookbook and the techniques I learned from America's Test Kitchen. I know, you are looking at this recipe and thinking, "Is she crazy? There are a million ingredients in this thing! How is this quick and easy?" Trust me, it is. The only ingredient I had to purchase for this meal was the olives. Everything else, I had on hand. Check out my pantry page links at the top of the blog. By the way the prep time for this was just 30 minutes.
Just a quick word about the ingredients. Boneless, skinless thighs work best in the crockpot. They have more flavor, and don't dry out, and they are cheaper, but you can substitute breasts, if that's what you have. I get the olives at the olive bar of my Shop Rite, but if you hate olives, leave them out! Remember what I said in an earlier post; these recipes are meant to be adaptable. If you don't like an ingredient, substitute another or leave it out. I use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil. They keep forever, so I always have them on hand. Now you are thinking, "What do I do with all that leftover tomato paste?" I put it into the freezer. Each time I need it, I defrost it for a minute or two and scrape off the tablespoon or two that I need and put it back into the freezer. I use it often to develop the flavors in crockpot meals, so now I always have it on hand! No big deal! Here we go.
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
12/ cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Begin by chopping the onions and garlic. I use the Pampered Chef chopper and it is a real time saver, and the whole thing goes right into the dishwasher. Combine the garlic, onions, tomato paste, oregano and 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes. This step is where the flavors are developed, so don't leave it out. Transfer onion mixture to the bottom of the crockpot and add bay leaf, rosemary, lemon zest, salt, pepper, tapioca, (for thickening) and sun dried tomatoes. Give a good stir to combine. Put the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Trim any bits of fat off the chicken and add it to the skillet. Cook about five minutes, turning once, just until it begins to lightly brown. Transfer the chicken to the crockpot and cover with lemon slices. Add the wine and chicken broth to the skillet that you used for the chicken. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, just until the alcohol cooks off add this to the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice, orzo, or noodles. Add a green vegetable and you have a great meal.
Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out. Also, let me know any changes or additions you made. Good luck and remember to have fun!
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Playing with Pancakes--Part 1
So tomorrow is October 1st and everywhere you go they are talking pumpkin. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin mousse, pumpkin gnocchi, pumpkin spice coffee, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. ( I really loved The King and I). So I decided to try my hand at pumpkin pancakes. I made up a big batch of pancake batter and then began playing with it. Part 1 will be pumpkin pancakes, but Part 2 will be apple, cinnamon, walnut pancakes. I just need to play with those a bit more. Here we go, one more pumpkin recipe to add to your repertoire.
I will begin by talking about pancake mix. I do not buy a separate mix just for pancakes. I use Bisquick baking mix. Since I use it for lots of things, it seems silly to buy something just for pancakes, when Bisquick works just fine. I have also made pancakes from scratch, but that is for another day. I just followed the recipe for 14 pancakes, which is 2 cups of mix, 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk. If you use something different, just follow the recipe for about a dozen pancakes.
For pumpkin pancakes:
To prepared pancake batter add:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree - do not use pumpkin pie filling!
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Mix well and prepare as you would regular pancakes. Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.
I was saving three for the picture, but somebody ate one! I guess I'm not the only one who thought they were good!
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
I will begin by talking about pancake mix. I do not buy a separate mix just for pancakes. I use Bisquick baking mix. Since I use it for lots of things, it seems silly to buy something just for pancakes, when Bisquick works just fine. I have also made pancakes from scratch, but that is for another day. I just followed the recipe for 14 pancakes, which is 2 cups of mix, 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk. If you use something different, just follow the recipe for about a dozen pancakes.
For pumpkin pancakes:
To prepared pancake batter add:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree - do not use pumpkin pie filling!
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Mix well and prepare as you would regular pancakes. Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.
I was saving three for the picture, but somebody ate one! I guess I'm not the only one who thought they were good!
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Great Dinner Tonight--Almost All on the Grill
I have been craving mushrooms. I don't know what that means, I just have. So today I went to a local market that has wonderful produce and bought four different kinds of mushrooms: regular white button mushrooms, shitake, oyster and cremini. All but the oyster mushrooms I purchased already sliced, because it was late in the day and I was trying to save time. I don't usually do this because I am bothered by paying someone else to cut up my food. Call me cheap. I also bought some Brussels sprouts.
When I got home, the first thing I did was to turn on the grill to high. I then put a 3 slices of bacon in a pan to cook. While they were cooking, I washed the Brussels sprouts, trimmed the ends off, picked off any yellow leaves and cut them in half lengthwise. Always choose small sprouts as they are less bitter. I then put the Brussels sprouts in a microwave safe bowl and cooked them for three minutes on high in the microwave. I took the bacon out of the pan and set it aside on a paper towel. I then put in the partially cooked Brussels sprouts into the pan with the bacon fat and just sautéed along with two cloves of garlic that I ran through the garlic press right into the pan. I sautéed them for a minute or two. I then put them in an oven proof pan with a lid, added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and set them aside.
I then scrubbed four potatoes, poked holes in them and put them in the microwave for 10 minutes. While these were pre-cooking, I prepared my boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I rinsed them, patted them dry, and trimmed off any fat. I brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides. Now I am ready to go outside. I bring out the potatoes, chicken and pan of Brussels sprouts. Everything goes on the grill. Chicken on one side, potatoes and Brussels sprouts on the other.
I come back inside and wipe out the pan I used for the bacon. I then put two tablespoons of olive oil and two table spoons of butter in the pan and turn the heat on medium. I rinse the mushrooms, and cut the stems off of the oyster mushrooms. All the mushrooms go into the pan and I raise the heat to high. I go outside and give the Brussels sprouts a stir and check the chicken, not quite ready to turn. It needs at least eight minutes. Don't try to turn it too soon, or it will stick to the grill. When it is ready it will lift easily. I come back and check on the mushrooms, a few quick stirs. They are giving off a lot of liquid. I want this to all cook away.
Back outside to pick some rosemary and chives, flip the chicken and give the Brussels sprouts another stir. They are nearly done. I also check the potatoes; they are also nearly done. I come in and chop the herbs and set aside. The liquid is pretty much dissolved from the mushrooms. They have been cooking on high for about ten minutes. I run three cloves of garlic through the garlic press right into the mushroom pan, add the rosemary and turn the heat to medium. I add about 1/2 cup of white wine and let this reduce. I go back outside and turn off the side of the grill that has the potatoes and Brussels sprouts. My grill has four burners and I love this feature. Everything will stay warm while the chicken continues to cook.
Back inside. This sounds like a lot of running around doesn't it? Not really, my patio is right off my kitchen and my house is quite small, so it's only a few steps each time. I now check the mushrooms and add 1/4 cup of heavy cream about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir and reduce the heat to low. Back outside to get everything. The chicken has cooked a total of 15-18 minutes. These were pretty thick breasts, cook them less time if yours are thin. I transfer the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and add the bacon which I have crumbled. I add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan that had the Brussels sprouts and throw in a quarter cup of chopped walnuts and cook over medium heat. The chicken goes onto a platter and mushroom sauce on top. Baked potatoes will be served with butter, sour cream and chives. Nuts come off the stove and go into the Brussels sprouts. Dinner is done. From start to finish that took about 45 minutes and everything was great!
I only had two pans to wash, and since it was a warm day, I didn't heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven for the potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I know this wasn't an actual recipe, but a run through of my dinner preparation. Sometimes it's easier for me to explain it this way, since I didn't actually have recipes for what I made. I had leftover heavy cream, so I thought I would throw it into the mushrooms, another night, I might just make them with the wine. This is how I usually cook, on the fly. Once you get accustomed to what tastes good with what, you can do the same thing! Practice makes perfect! Good luck! And most importantly, have fun!
Happy Cooking,
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
When I got home, the first thing I did was to turn on the grill to high. I then put a 3 slices of bacon in a pan to cook. While they were cooking, I washed the Brussels sprouts, trimmed the ends off, picked off any yellow leaves and cut them in half lengthwise. Always choose small sprouts as they are less bitter. I then put the Brussels sprouts in a microwave safe bowl and cooked them for three minutes on high in the microwave. I took the bacon out of the pan and set it aside on a paper towel. I then put in the partially cooked Brussels sprouts into the pan with the bacon fat and just sautéed along with two cloves of garlic that I ran through the garlic press right into the pan. I sautéed them for a minute or two. I then put them in an oven proof pan with a lid, added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and set them aside.
I then scrubbed four potatoes, poked holes in them and put them in the microwave for 10 minutes. While these were pre-cooking, I prepared my boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I rinsed them, patted them dry, and trimmed off any fat. I brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides. Now I am ready to go outside. I bring out the potatoes, chicken and pan of Brussels sprouts. Everything goes on the grill. Chicken on one side, potatoes and Brussels sprouts on the other.
I come back inside and wipe out the pan I used for the bacon. I then put two tablespoons of olive oil and two table spoons of butter in the pan and turn the heat on medium. I rinse the mushrooms, and cut the stems off of the oyster mushrooms. All the mushrooms go into the pan and I raise the heat to high. I go outside and give the Brussels sprouts a stir and check the chicken, not quite ready to turn. It needs at least eight minutes. Don't try to turn it too soon, or it will stick to the grill. When it is ready it will lift easily. I come back and check on the mushrooms, a few quick stirs. They are giving off a lot of liquid. I want this to all cook away.
Back outside to pick some rosemary and chives, flip the chicken and give the Brussels sprouts another stir. They are nearly done. I also check the potatoes; they are also nearly done. I come in and chop the herbs and set aside. The liquid is pretty much dissolved from the mushrooms. They have been cooking on high for about ten minutes. I run three cloves of garlic through the garlic press right into the mushroom pan, add the rosemary and turn the heat to medium. I add about 1/2 cup of white wine and let this reduce. I go back outside and turn off the side of the grill that has the potatoes and Brussels sprouts. My grill has four burners and I love this feature. Everything will stay warm while the chicken continues to cook.
Back inside. This sounds like a lot of running around doesn't it? Not really, my patio is right off my kitchen and my house is quite small, so it's only a few steps each time. I now check the mushrooms and add 1/4 cup of heavy cream about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir and reduce the heat to low. Back outside to get everything. The chicken has cooked a total of 15-18 minutes. These were pretty thick breasts, cook them less time if yours are thin. I transfer the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and add the bacon which I have crumbled. I add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan that had the Brussels sprouts and throw in a quarter cup of chopped walnuts and cook over medium heat. The chicken goes onto a platter and mushroom sauce on top. Baked potatoes will be served with butter, sour cream and chives. Nuts come off the stove and go into the Brussels sprouts. Dinner is done. From start to finish that took about 45 minutes and everything was great!
I only had two pans to wash, and since it was a warm day, I didn't heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven for the potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I know this wasn't an actual recipe, but a run through of my dinner preparation. Sometimes it's easier for me to explain it this way, since I didn't actually have recipes for what I made. I had leftover heavy cream, so I thought I would throw it into the mushrooms, another night, I might just make them with the wine. This is how I usually cook, on the fly. Once you get accustomed to what tastes good with what, you can do the same thing! Practice makes perfect! Good luck! And most importantly, have fun!
Happy Cooking,
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
Friday, September 26, 2014
Snickerdoodles
Back in the 70's I lived in Omaha, Nebraska. I had a neighbor directly across the street who was truly amazing. She had four children, made all their clothes, including their pajamas and leisure suits for her husband, cooked a wonderful meal every night, and made cookies in the morning before her kids went to school so she could put fresh cookies in their lunches. I once asked her how she managed to get all this done and she said, "Oh, I just do it around the edges!" I asked her what that meant, and she explained that she did things in found moments during her day. For example, when she drove someone to soccer practice, she came home and used the time to cut out two shirts for her son. I would have sat and read a magazine until it was time to pick them up, because it never would have occurred to me that I could cut out shirts in that little bit of time. I learned a lot from her, and soon I too was doing things "around the edges". I have even been known, on occasion, to bake cookies before my kids went to school! She shared several wonderful recipes with me and this one, for snickerdoodles, is one of my favorites. (Another one is omelet bread, which I will share with you closer to the holidays.)
This is a very old cookie recipe, dating back to the 1800's. I discovered this because I was doing a presentation at a local quilt shop on a quilt made during the Civil War. I wanted to serve a snack similar to what would have been made during that time period. I did some research and came up with the snickerdoodle! Well since I already had my neighbor's recipe, that was a no brainer! I have made these cookies with each of my children and grandchildren from an early age because you can give them a bowl of cinnamon sugar and plop the cookie ball in, and they can shake away. Enough said, here is the recipe. It makes about 5 dozen cookies.
1 c shortening (some recipes call for half butter and half shortening, I just like how the shortening ones turn out)
1 1/2 c sugar ( I have made them with only 1 cup of sugar and they are still good)
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
topping:
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a mixer, cream shortening and sugar together, add eggs and continue to mix. Then add dry ingredients and mix well. Roll dough into balls about the size of a walnut and put the dough ball into a bowl in which you have mixed the cinnamon and sugar. Shake or spin the bowl. (This is the part the kids do.) Place about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8 - 10 minutes. I bake mine about 9 minutes because we like them soft. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a rack.
Try this with your kids! Enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a Nonnie
This is a very old cookie recipe, dating back to the 1800's. I discovered this because I was doing a presentation at a local quilt shop on a quilt made during the Civil War. I wanted to serve a snack similar to what would have been made during that time period. I did some research and came up with the snickerdoodle! Well since I already had my neighbor's recipe, that was a no brainer! I have made these cookies with each of my children and grandchildren from an early age because you can give them a bowl of cinnamon sugar and plop the cookie ball in, and they can shake away. Enough said, here is the recipe. It makes about 5 dozen cookies.
1 c shortening (some recipes call for half butter and half shortening, I just like how the shortening ones turn out)
1 1/2 c sugar ( I have made them with only 1 cup of sugar and they are still good)
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
topping:
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a mixer, cream shortening and sugar together, add eggs and continue to mix. Then add dry ingredients and mix well. Roll dough into balls about the size of a walnut and put the dough ball into a bowl in which you have mixed the cinnamon and sugar. Shake or spin the bowl. (This is the part the kids do.) Place about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8 - 10 minutes. I bake mine about 9 minutes because we like them soft. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a rack.
Try this with your kids! Enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a Nonnie
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