Chic Chefs...on a budget

Reviews!!!!

2011-12-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

I know! I know! About darn time!!!! I am loving these recipes this round but have been lazy at posting my reviews!!! So here we go.....

Chicken and Green Olive Enchiladas
Although this isn't my favorite enchilada recipe I will probably make it again. I love the depth of flavor the cinnamon, choc, and olives added. I was a bit hesitant when I read the recipe but ended up enjoying it. I am a bit traditional and seem to prefer a simplier version of enchiladas though. I will say that the family I work for also had this for dinner one night (I do the cooking) and they LOVED it!!!!

Pork and cabbage Yakisoba
YUMMY!!! I did cheat on this a bit by using a "coleslaw" mix of pre chopped cabbage and carrots so the proportions may not have been exact but, I liked it. I love the sauce that this made! It had really yummy flavor and wasnt just the saltiness of soy! I think next time I will add a few more veggies and probably some water chestnuts or nuts on top to give a bit of crunch!

Stovetop Chili Mac
This is another recipe that made me stop and reread wondering if it would go over well in my family. IT DID!!! My daughter loved it!I love how easy it was! Definitely a make again meal!

Enchilada Review - Tisha

2011-11-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

I made the Chicken & Green Olive Enchilada's for a small dinner party last night, and they were a hit! I loved the mole sauce, particularly because canned enchilada sauce has just not been appealing to me lately. I was really skeptical about the pimiento-stuffed green olives, but they added nice flavor. I used rotisserie chicken, which definitely cut down on the prep time. I think these would be good served with a tomatillo salsa. I will definitely be using this recipe again in the future - thank you Eva!
PS - I made this for dessert, and it was easy, tasty and pretty! Subbed granny smith apples for half of pears: http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/10/pear-cranberry-and-gingersnap-crumble/

Stovetop Chili Mac

2011-11-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from Everyday Food Mag. Our family LOVES this and it's so easy because I usually have all the ingredients on hand. It says it serves 4 however I am able to feed the 5 of us with this recipe. I have made is several time as it reads but the last time I added a can of diced tomatoes, juice and all, for just a bit more of the chili influence and we really liked it that way too. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 pound rigatoni or other tube-shaped pasta
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced small
1 pound ground beef chuck (85 percent lean)
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1 small zucchini, diced medium
2 ounces cheddar, grated (3/4 cup)

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent, 3 minutes.
Increase heat to medium-high, add beef, and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add cumin and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add corn and zucchini and cook until zucchini is crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice, bring to a simmer, and cook until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide pasta among four bowls, top with meat sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

Yakisoba with Pork & Cabbage

2011-10-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry I missed my posting date, but I'm going to embrace the "better late than never" philosophy and post it now! I discovered this recipe online from the New York Times about a year ago, and I've been making it regularly since. It is simple, flexible (I've substituted bell peppers, kale, and red onion), and it's got a salty tangy-ness that I love! I prefer to use the fresh yakisoba noodles in the produce department of the grocery store (which eliminates step #1), but I'm sure others would work well too.
Enjoy and Happy Halloween from me and my pumpkin friends!

Yakisoba With Pork and Cabbage

6 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles, or 10 to 12 ounces fresh

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons minced ginger

2 pork chops, thinly sliced

1 small head Napa or savoy cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)

2 carrots, shredded

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mirin, or a bit of sugar

Few drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste

1 bunch scallions, chopped, white parts only.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it and add noodles. Cook until just done, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water. Toss noodles with sesame oil to keep them from sticking together, and set aside.

2. Put peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add ginger and cook, stirring, until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork and cook for about 5 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink and is starting to brown around the edges.

3. Add cabbage and carrots to skillet and stir; sprinkle with salt. Continue to cook until vegetables soften, adding a bit of water as needed to keep them from sticking.

4. Meanwhile, stir together in a small bowl ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mirin and Tabasco. When vegetables are soft and any liquid has evaporated, add noodles and sauce to skillet. Toss to coat everything well and cook until noodles are warmed through. Serve, topped with chopped scallions.

Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken and Green Olive Enchiladas Review

2011-10-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hey, I never said my pictures were going to be good, or particularly appetizing. It's just fun to see them!

I really liked this recipe. It's not the "enchiladas" that I was craving, though. It's a whole different enchilada! Haha. Anyway. It's the mole base. I actually loved it but using mole makes this a totally different dish. This mole recipe is going to be my go to, if I ever need to make mole. It was so delicious and the flavor was surprisingly complex and deep. I'm actually convincing myself, as I type, to make this again. Soon.

Chicken and Green Olive Enchiladas

2011-10-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ever since the beginning of September I have been craving cool-weather food, especially enchiladas. This is not unusual for me. I have not been indulging, however because here in the Willamette Valley we have had a super late summer. (whoopie!) I am on a quest now to find the yummiest enchilada recipe. I found this one on epicurious.com, which is on the top of my list for places to search for always delicious recipes. I certainly hope this doesn't let me, or you, down. I'm making this tonight!

Chicken and Green Olive Enchiladas

1 4 1/2-pound chicken, quartered
4 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth

8 tablespoons (about) olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons hot Mexican-style chili powder
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 ounce semisweet chocolate

16 5- to 6-inch corn tortillas

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup drained pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced

Preparation

Place chicken and broth in heavy large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pot and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes. Cool chicken in broth. Strain broth and spoon off fat; reserve broth. Remove chicken skin and bones; discard. Shred chicken coarsely; transfer to large bowl.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 cup onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Cover. Cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder and flour; stir 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in 4 1/2 cups broth. Increase heat to medium-high. Boil until reduced to 3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate; season with salt and pepper. Cool.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until just pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Transfer to paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas, adding oil as needed.

Spread 1/3 cup sauce in each of two 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dishes. Mix 1 cup sauce into chicken. Arrange 8 tortillas on work surface. Spoon 3 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon olives, 1 tablespoon onion and 1/4 cup chicken over center of each. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in 1 prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, 1 1/2 cups cheese, olives, onion and chicken. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover sauce and enchiladas separately; chill.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes (30 minutes if chilled). Remove foil and bake until sauce bubbles, about 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Garam Masala Lentils

2011-10-11T14:05:00.001-07:00

This was good. It was very simple, which I liked, and tasted delicious. My family liked this as well. I couldn't help but feel like it was missing something though. I don't know what because I'm not super familiar with Indian food, but it's like it was 2-D and I really wanted it to be 3-D. I suspect that a little playing around with spices would possibly do the trick. I like Rachel's idea of experimenting with different vegetables, although I did like the potatoes and peppers just as it called for. I would try it again, for sure.

Garam Masala Lentil Review (Severns)

2011-10-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

I will start by saying that I did not follow this recipe exactly. I used it as a place to jump off from. I know, I know... that is not what we are suppose to do. However, one night I was really craving the spices and lentils that come from this recipe and decided to make it even though I didn't have all the ingredients.

To start, I did not have potatoes so I made the recipe with only the lentils. From this point I actually made the entire recipe the way it said except instead of the peppers I used zucchini and carrots. Peppers do not go over well in this house (as much as I continue to try) but carrots and zucchini are favorites. I topped each bowl with the almonds and golden raisins. I served this stew with soft chewy Italian bread. It was a hit! There was enough that I froze the left overs and will have another meal some evening I haven't got time to make dinner!

Chic Chef Favorites????

2011-09-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

So, I am just wondering what recipes you ladies are finding to be yoru favorites from our chic chef repetoire. Besides recipes you have posted which ones do you find yourself going back to get again and again? Likewise, As we move forward what types of recipes are you wishing you had?

Garam Masala lentils and potatos

2011-09-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

I made this for the family I work with last week and they found it to be yummy so I wanted to try it myself! I love how hearty it is and that it gave me another recipe to use the garam masala I bought for one of our other recipes and thought you ladies may enjoy it as well! It is a vegetarian dish and makes quite a large pot. They served it beside some basmati rice although that wasnt really neccesary.

Ingredients
1 lb brown lentils
1 1/2 lbs russet potato, peeled and diced
2 onions, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
2 yellow or red peppers
1/2 c cilantro
3/4 cup slivered almonds
Directions
1.In large Saucepan combine 4 cups water, lentils, potatos, onions, diced tomatoes, salts,garam masala, cumin and pepper. Cover reduce heat to med low and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. stir occaionsally. Add yellow or red peppers and simmer additional 5 minutes. stir in cilantro and sprinkle with almonds and serve.

Late & Over-Loaded!

2011-09-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Gals & Readers!
I have updated the schedule. It was never my intention to take such a break but I think everyone needed it this summer, I know I did. Here's to another Fall of favorites!

How about some updated chef photos??

Beet and Goat cheese risotto

2011-06-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hi ladies,
I realize everyone has some big "life" stuff going on so we aren't on a rotation but I found this recipe and IT IS FABULOUS!!!!! So, I wanted to post it and hopefully you will have a chance to try it and let me know what you think! It is stunning to look at, absolutely delicious and unlike any risotto I have made in that you add all the liquid at beginning and just stir occasionally which makes this a incredible easy risotto recipe as well! ENJOY!

Ingredients

¼ cups Butter
2 whole Beets, Chopped Small
1 whole Onion, Chopped Small
1 cup Arborio Rice
3 cups Stock (Chicken Or Vegetable)
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
Salt And Pepper, to taste
½ cups Goat Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the beets and onion, and cook for 8 minutes (stir to allow the onion to caramelize). Mix in the rice, broth, and balsamic vinegar. Increase the heat. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese. If you are not a goat cheese fan, you could substitute feta cheese, but trust me, the goat cheese really enhances the flavor of the beets. Enjoy!

From a Prodigal Chic Chef....

2011-06-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies.....

I just realized today, I have been so busy with work and life that I've forgotten about every blog I'm a part of :( I know I have been away for a while but was wondering when you start the next round if I could be a part of the Chic Chefs again?
I hope you are all doing great and the receipes look delicious!!!
serena :)

Lemon Basil Chicken review- Cahill

2011-05-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

This is going to be short and sweet! WE LOVED THIS! Not sure how you could go wrong with pasta, cream, basil and chicken so I wasn't surprised! My only regret is that I don't have a grill yet for the new place and had to cook the chicken on the panini grill which loses some of the flavor of grilling but still very good recipe!

PS haven't forgotten the bronco burgers but still rounding up the ingredients and definitely a grill for those!!! Sounds amazing! can't wait!

Grilled Chicken and Lemon Basil Pasta Review (Severns)

2011-05-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, well, I wasn't planning on making this recipe tonight but realized I had everything except the correct pasta cut. So I used Fettuccine instead and didn't mind it at all. I liked this recipe, especially how easy it is. I don't relate with needing to thin the sauce... Our sauce was on the thin side. Everyone liked it but Andy & I did agree that it was too lemony so next time will use less. I probably used more basil than called for but we love basil and it was good.

Easy. Common ingredients. Yummy. FIVE Thumbs Up!!

Tisha's Grilled Chicken & Lemon Pasta Review

2011-04-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

Great dish - perfect easy, fresh, summery meal. This was my first grilled chicken of the season, and boy was it tasty. I'm so proud to be grilling independently now - it's so simple with a gas grill, I don't know why I always relied on Jeremy to do it. Anyways, I made the pasta exactly as stated in the recipe except for subbing milk for 1/2 and 1/2, which worked just fine. The amount of lemon was perfect. Don't skimp on the basil - the flavor and visual appeal of the pasta is greatly enhanced by it. Served it with a side salad and bread (and prosecco). When I asked our dinner guests for any suggestions for my review, they just said, "Yummmmmmm." Thank you for sharing, Carrie!

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

2011-04-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

I Lurve the Pioneer Woman's site. We have done several of her recipes and none have ever been a dud. I thought this looked yummy and springy and best of all easy! We actually do not eat much pasta....like maybe twice a month so I was looking for a pasta dish and this fit the bill! Hope everyone enjoys!

Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8

Ingredients

4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced
1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
½ sticks Butter
3 whole Lemons, Juiced
¾ cups Heavy Cream
¼ cups Half-and-half
1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

Ginger Orange Cashew Chicken Review (Severns)

2011-04-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made this recipe and was very excited about it because it sounds so good and Andy has been craving Asian food. I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of adding a bit more chicken stock because I wanted extra sauce. I am so glad I did that! I wanted to heed Staci's suggestion of cutting the soy sauce however, I really wanted to make the recipe as is the first time. Next time I will cut the soy sauce in half. It really was too salty and everyone at the table agreed.

As far as my own observations and amendments for next time. I will use more ginger because of my families preference for ginger and I will use more orange juice and possibly some zest. I could not detect the orange flavor at all. Overall, this recipe is good and I will make it again - I love how easy it is! FIVE thumbs up!

Bronco Burgers

2011-04-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Since life is a bit unpredictable right now I thought I'd post early rather than take the chance of forgetting altogether!

This recipe has converted me to a burger lover! As you all know, I am not a big meat eater. I have always appreciated a cheeseburger - if - it was a really good quality, cooked just right burger. Well, thanks (once again) to allrecipes.com, I have found the burger my stomach was always searching for!

A couple of notes: The recipe calls for quantities that make 4 large burger patties. If I am making this recipe just for my family I use 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of meat and make the patties a bit smaller. Also, the kids aren't keen on heat so I completely de-seed and de-spine the jalapeno and it's not hot at all - don't skip the jalapeno! ALWAYS eat this burger with a cold beer.

Bronco Burgers

2 fresh jalapeno peppers
2 pounds ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 egg
2 tablespoons steak sauce, (e.g. Heinz 57)
2 tablespoons minced white onion
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
1/2 pinch dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons crushed Fritos® corn chips
4 large potato hamburger buns
4 slices cheese

Directions: Preheat a grill. In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the chopped jalapenos, ground beef, salt, pepper, egg, steak sauce, onion, hot pepper sauce, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and Fritos®. Divide into 4 (or however many) balls, and flatten into patties.

Grill patties for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, or until well done. Remove from the grill and place on buns. Top each one with a slice of cheese. Enjoy!

Ginger Orange cashew Chicken ~ Cahill

2011-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

We made this last night for dinner and it was good! The contrast of spicy ginger with sweet orange juice was fabulous! The sauce was thick enough to stay on the dish and soak into a bit of rice without being to heavy. I made snow peas to serve with it and Katrina and I both ate it up. Next time I will probably cut the soy sauce in half and increase the broth a bit to see if that cuts down on the salt which was a bit over powering. It is definitely a keeper!

BBQ Ribs (Severns)

2011-03-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

OK, so here is my debut post (in Rachel's place of course), but luckily for me, Rachel had a function to go to and me and the kids got to enjoy this yumminess all by ourselves. The only variation I made was due to the fact that I had no garlic salt, thus I used 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp salt (which kind of doubled the amt called for, however no ill effects were noticed. I also thought it weird to only put in a half a cup of cola because with the amt of ribs, it seemed that not very much of the ribs surfaces were in contact with the cola, and I know that cola kind of tenderizes the meat in a way. all that to say I will probably double the cola amt the next time and see what happens. I only used 3/4 cup sauce as that was sufficient to coat the ribs. As far as tasty yumminess, two thumbs up. The kids were laughing at how messy my hands were as I was cutting meat off the bones for everyone, and they were eating it literally faster than I could cut. Very good. Definite repeat.

Cola BBQ Ribs - cahill

2011-03-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Finger lickin Good!!!! I did this recipe with my sisters family since 3 lbs of ribs for 2 people may be a bit ridiculous. Everyone enjoyed them! I would probably cut back a bit on the brown sugar as they were a bit sweet for my tastes. HOWEVER, my sister who typically avoids meat, went back for seconds. I love how simple this is and the little cola made ribs super tender! Yum!

Ginger Orange Cashew Chicken

2011-03-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

First of all, I am so sorry to be posting this so late! I realized today that I was due to have posted a recipe on Sunday - yikes! But as they say, better late than never. This recipe accompanied my organic produce box that travels from Washington to Juneau every week to give us tasty, fresh fruits and veggies. I haven't tried it yet, but I think it sounds delicious! Happy cooking!

Ginger Orange Cashew Chicken

"A one pan dish, the sauce can easily be doubled and then used to cook and coat quartered baby bok choy, snap peas or wilted spinach or other greens as a bed for the chicken. Remember to get you pan hot before sautéing the chicken, heat the oil to just below smoking for good browning."

2 6-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

All-purpose flour for dredging

2 T olive oil

1 T finely minced ginger

1/2 cup roasted cashews (to roast, bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 10 min. at 375 degrees)

4 scallions (white and green parts), cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 orange for juicing, (blood oranges are wonderful for this but any will do)

1/2 cup chicken stock, or more as needed

Steamed white rice for serving

Pour the flour onto a plate or small bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over high heat until hot but not yet smoking. Place the chicken pieces evenly distributed around the pan being careful to not splatter the hot oil. Let the chicken cook, without stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. When brown, flip and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, toss in ginger, scallions and cashews, agitating the pan quickly for 30 seconds until the ginger becomes acutely aromatic. Add the soy sauce and squeeze in the juice of the orange. Toss the pieces to coat all with the sauce. Pour in the chicken stock - add more, if necessary, to almost cover the chicken. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Pour the chicken and sauce over rice and serve.

Ham & Cheese Bake Review (Severns)

2011-03-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Oh My Wonderful Goodness".
That was the comment that came out of Andy's mouth around the mass of food when he first bit into one of these sandwiches. I have to admit I was skeptical right up to the first bite. After that bite I lost the skepticism and liked this recipe. I made everything according to the recipe but will use less poppy seeds in the future; there were definitely too many. The kids all liked these too and we didn't have any leftovers! (I halved the batch) FIVE thumbs up!

Cola Barbecued Ribs

2011-03-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is so tasty and I find my mouth watering as I'm writing about it. 'nuf said.

3 1/2 lb pork spareribs or loin back ribs

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon hickory smoked salt or garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup cola

1 1/4 cups barbecue sauce

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Trim excess fat from ribs. In a small bowl mix brown sugar, hickory smoked salt, and pepper; rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into 2- or 3-rib portions. Place ribs into cooker and pour cola around ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.

Remove ribs and place into shallow baking pan. Drain liquid from cooker and discard. Brush both sides of ribs with barbecue sauce. Return ribs to cooker. Pour any remaining sauce over ribs.

Cover and cook on low for another hour or until ribs are glazed and sauce is disired consistancy.

This is from a Betty Crocker Slow Cooker book.

Oh Boy.

2011-03-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

This was so delicious. Nothing left to say. Well, ok I do have a few things to say, I guess. I wish that it wasn't drenched in butter so that I could eat it every day. It's perfect for parties! Take note of that, because they are small and so yummy and you could even make them into little appetizers by cutting them in quarters and sticking a toothpick in them. We had company and I served these and everyone loved them! I stuck to the recipe and I'm glad I did. I am so glad I have this recipe up my sleeve. YUMM!!

Ham and Cheese sandwich bake

2011-02-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go!! To kick off this round of recipes I wanted to find something easy, affordable, different and kid friendly. So, I called my sister in the midwest and asked for her latest potluck find and this is the recipe she suggested. I feel a bit guilty that this is too "simple" for our blog but, it seems all of our favs here are! I love that I usually have the ingredients on hand or can adjust how many to make. She said it was a great brunch idea but honestly, I am thinking a quick weeknight dinner if paired with a soup or salad. can't wait to try it myself and hear your takes on it!

Ham and Cheese Sandwich Bake

12 small servings

1/2 c. butter
2Tb. brown sugar
1 Tb poppy seeds
1 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 Tb prepared mustard

12 "cocktail" buns (small round dinner buns)
12 slices deli ham (or leftover ham)
12 slices swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 325
spray 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray

bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan. Once boiled turn heat off and let cool while assembling sandwiches.

place one slice ham and one slice cheese inside each bun and arrange in the pan.

pour cooled sauce over the top.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake additional 5 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temp.

New Schedule!

2011-02-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

Alright, I have posted the new schedule! We are on to the next exciting round of Chic Chefs. I decided to change up the order more than ever. Let me know if you need a switch! Happy Cooking!

squash and parsnip pasta

2011-01-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I tried this one with MUCH reservation and was right,. not my favorite. Having said that...KATRINA LOVES!!!!! LOVES THIS!!! I will be making this again and often i think! It is a great recipe, super easy, and fairly healthy! She is for the most part against eating meat (silly child) and LOVES squash so this was a hands down kid approved fav! I on the other hand am not a squash fan and I hate parsnips so i am certain that is the only reason I wasn't blown away by this. It smelled delish! The other thing I loved about this is that it didn't separate when reheating the leftovers. I would love to experiment with this with different types of squash and see how it changes the recipe. Thanks Tisha for making my little girl soooooo happy! She begs for squash and now I know what to do with it!

Sooooooo...

2011-01-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

Anybody ready for our next round? Make a comment to let me know who's in and who's out. We'll post the new schedule soon...

MMMMM meatball review

2011-01-13T00:12:00.001-08:00

This poor recipe! I know I rarely make any of our recipes EXACTLY as written and this was no exception. As some know I am in the process of packing for a move and clearing out ingredients and in that spirit I made these recipes tonight with a few alterations.

I enjoyed the dinner! I had the meatballs/carrot rice/ and added sauteed asparagus with onions and mushrooms. I thought it was super easy, very fast and satisfying. I don't think it was my favorite meatball recipe but I will certainly make it again. I also agree with the review that I was craving a sauce of some sort to accompany it, not at all because it was dry or needed extra moisture just for a that extra touch. I have a sauce in mind that I will try with this and if it adds to it then i will share with all!

So, for the meatballs, I didn't have fresh bread crumbs so used some out of the freezer. I used an all natural (pickaboo??) hot sauce, frozen cilantro, all white meat ground turkey, and I added dry onion as well as scallions. I mixed the meatballs up before work and cooked it for dinner. The extra time for flavors to mix was great! I did the rice as written.

So, what I would change? I think using veggie or chicken broth to cook the rice in would be fabulous. I also am tempted to replace the water for the bread crumbs with soy sauce and then omit the salt. I think I would add a hint of ginger as well. Thanks for the recipe! I love new takes on meatballs!

Asian Meatballs Review (Severns)

2011-01-05T13:56:00.001-08:00

WOW! I really wanted to start my post with that word.

This recipe is unlike any meatball recipe I have ever made. I will most definitely make these again. This time (in Oregon) Mom and I teamed up and got some help from Victor also. We followed the recipe exactly and served the meatballs up with the carrot rice - and the table went silent. I did wish for a bit of a sauce or even just a bit of goo so I think next time I will experiment with the drippings. I really don't even want gravy just a little something.

On a side note, my mom is allergic to gluten so we used some crumbs from a left over gluten free biscuit and there wasn't much difference. It certainly didn't stop Victor from eating the remainder of gluten free meatballs!

Chili and Beer Bread Review (Severns)

2011-01-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

Last week when we were in Oregon Eva and I teamed up to make these two recipes. We were slightly short on time and responsible for 4 children so instead of the ideal situation in which we worked together on both recipes, we divided and we conquered! Both recipes were very good and I will most likely make both of them again.

I am the one who made the bread and really stuck to the recipe. The one thing that differed was (due to tight scheduling) we did not allow the bread to cool at all after it came out of the oven. As a result it fell apart in large pieces when we attempted to slice it. But other than that it was perfect, delicious and GONE!

The chili exceeded my expectations. Eva stuck to the recipe and it was very tasty. I love that you can taste the beer in it. I'll let her give the details of which beer she used. I am not much of a chili fan however I will use this recipe next time Andy requests chili. Oh, we ate it right after making it but Andy ate it the next day and of course it was much better. Yumm!

Butternut Squash & Parsnip Baked Pasta

2011-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I wanted to share my recipe with you, a different take on pasta from Cooking Light magazine. I haven't made it in a while, but it has been on my mind - especially as I have seen cubed butternut squash in the stores lately - a nice shortcut to preparing this meal. I enjoy finding recipes that are hearty and filling without always having meat. I hope you and your families like this one!

Butternut Squash & Parsnip Baked Pasta
Serves 4

1 TBL olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (1/2 inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (I either buy pre-cubed/peeled squash or bake my squash in the oven and dice it after it has softened up. I find peeling and slicing a raw squash to be a nearly impossible feat!)
1 cup chopped parsnip
1 TBL chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried sage
1 TBL chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt, divided
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1/2 cup (2 oz.) grated parmesan cheese, divided
Cooking spray
1 1/2 TBL butter
2 TBL all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in a nonstick skilled over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add squash and parsnip; saute 10 minutes. Stir in sage, parsley, nutmeg, allspice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper; remove from heat.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Combine squash mixture, pasta, and 1/4 cup cheese in an 11X7" baking dish coated with cooking spray, tossing gently to combine.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add milk; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add reserved cooking liquid; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Pour milk mixture over pasta mixture; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes (I found mine was done in 20) or until lightly browned.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice

2010-12-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

I have a busy weekend ahead so I thought I would post this a bit early. I love this, and can't wait to make it again. Anders and Mark also gave this good reviews so I'm anxious to hear what all of you think. This is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine (I LOVE this magazine!!) Enjoy!

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice

Ingredients:
Serves 4

Coarse salt
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 carrot, shredded
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/2 pounds ground dark-meat turkey or ground pork
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 teaspoons fish sauce
4 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce (preferably Sriracha)
4 teaspoons sugar
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice, stir, and return to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and top with carrot. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes, then stir in carrot and fluff rice with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add turkey, scallion whites, cilantro, fish sauce, hot-pepper sauce, sugar, garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Gently mix to combine and form into 12 meatballs.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high. In batches, brown meatballs on all sides, 10 minutes total (add up to 1 teaspoon oil as needed). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 10 minutes. Serve meatballs with rice, scallion greens, and lime wedges.

Catching Up

2010-11-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

I've been a little delinquent on this round of recipes, but I finally made the Apple Pot Roast and Chili! It was my first ever pot roast, and I can't figure out why I waited so long - it was delicious! It was tender and flavorful. Like Rachel, I also only used a portion of the apple juice and I used hard cider. It was slightly sweet and apple-flavored, but not overwhelmingly. I think one of my favorite parts was getting to make french dip sandwiches with the leftovers the next night!
I also really liked the chili though I was skeptical of the ranch flavoring at first. I cut the recipe in half (which still easily fed 5 of us) and served it with sharp cheddar cheese, green onions and corn bread. Everyone really enjoyed it. I think next time I will add a few more veggies like a green bell pepper and some corn. I'm looking forward to trying the beer bread in the future!
Thank you Carrie and Serena for some flavorful fall food ideas.

Where's the beef?

2010-11-14T20:31:00.001-08:00

So yummy!!!! I am sitting in a food induced stupor. Today I finally gave in and made the Apple Pot roast for Katrina and I. I was VERY skeptical of what she would eat since she is somewhat of a vegetarian. I was hoping an apple flavor and "sweet" taste others mentioned would win her over. IT WORKED!!! I didn;t find this to be sweet at all. I certainly had a hint of apple flavor but nothing over-powering at all. We both loved this recipe and will certainly make it again!

Now for what I did differently (cuz y'all know I can't keep any recipe as written)

for starters I used a pork roast (they are smaller, cheaper, and I was a bit afraid of a sweeter beef so opted for pork thinking it goes great with applesauce anyway)

I did cut the apple concentrate/ juice/ water in half since my roast was much smaller
I kept the same amount of garlic, and soup mix although left my cloves whole and shoved into the slits in the meat.

I also make my own onion soup mix and think that made a big difference, it doesn't have much salt and so the flavors are much more pronounced.

This was fabulous!!!! Sorry for doubting you Serena, I should know better by now!!! I owe you an apology this was yummy.

and did I mention... KATRINA HAD 3RDS of the MEAT??????

Chili Soup and Cheesy Bacon Beer Bread

2010-11-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

That's right, read that title to the men in your life and watch them swoon.

We love chili in our house, all the time, anytime but especially in the fall. There are so many different ways to make chili that we don't get tired of it. This is our newest find, one we've enjoyed so much that I believe we've ate it 4 times in the last 6 weeks. It's a great recipe to have some friends over with for a casual fall meal. That was how the recipe was introduced to us so that's the way I'm going to publish the recipe, but if your just cooking for your family then just half all the ingredients.

The Bread is what we've been making to go along with this chili but if it looks to overwhelming then just grab a box of Jiffy cornbread and it will still be so good. One great thing about chili is you could tackle the chili in the morning or even the day before and then just do the bread the day your serving the meal.

Happy Eating!

2lbs hamburger
1lb ground pork
3 packets taco seasoning
2 double packets Buttermilk Ranch Mix (Ranch brand packets for dip, 4 single packets total)
1 bulb garlic minced
1 onion chopped
2 bottles beer (dark preferred but any will do)
4 cans of beans (kidney, pinto whatever you like, we do a combo of kidney, pinto and even black)
4 cans tomato stuff (2 diced, 2 sauce, again this is changeable depending on your likes in the tomato department)

• Brown the onions in butter or oil until soft/brown (3-5 minutes)
• Add minced garlic, stir for .5 - 1 minute
• Remove onion and garlic from pan, set aside
• Add meat to pan, brown over med heat
• Add onions & garlic back to pan
• Add taco seasoning, stir to combine
• Deglaze pan with beer, bring to hard simmer, reduce by half
• Add rest of ingredients, low simmer for at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

Cheesy Bacon Beer Bread

makes one 9-inch load

Brushing butter on top before baking makes a crisp and flavorful crust. You will need about 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing the top of the bread.

1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups light bodied beer like Budweiser
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

375 degrees rack in middle position. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.

Combine cheese, bacon, flour sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper in large bowl. Stir in the beer and melted butter and mix until well combined. Pour into the loaf pan, spreading the batter to the corners, and brush lightly with the extra melted butter.

Bake until deep golden brown and a tooth pick come out clean about 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool bread in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely and slice as desired (though we never can wait for a complete cooling)

Chicken Strips! Cotton Clan Review

2010-11-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

This was a win with everyone in the house. I agree with Eva that the dill sets it apart. I also think I'll use less butter next time as I don't think it needed all of it. I cooked it much longer then suggested to get it a nice crisp outside. We ate this with home made sweet potatoe fries and corn. We also had the most amazing cream braised brussel sprouts because we had fresh ones on hand that needed to be ate recipe is a very yummy way to make brussel sprouts if anyone is interested.

Will do this one again!

Curry Review Cotton Clan

2010-11-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

So I LOVED this, it was so easy and so very yummy. I made the sauce in one pan and then in a separate pan cooked my chicken and then separately did my veggies as I'm picky about the cooking time for each. We had carrots, broccoli, edamame and pineapple chunks. I did only use about half the sauce for the amount of food we cooked up, three chicken breasts and all the veggies, it seems it would have been overly drowning in it to use it all. But what's great about that is I think I'll try and freeze the sauce so it's a two for one deal. Now the sad part is though I loved it, Elyse liked it, Kaelyn tolerated it and Jonathan does not like curry. But what's nice is everything could be cooked up separately and then I could add the sauce to half of it and leave the other half to be seasoned in anther way. Thanks Staci!

I'm forever grateful Uncle Bill...

2010-11-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Oh, and you ,too, Rachel.
I love this recipe! I have made chicken strips before and they were so boring and not worth making again. Or they were just good. BUT, I LOVE the dill in this recipe. I really think that the dill is what sets it apart. Although, if you aren't big on dill (like Staci) I can understand why you may not feel the same way but you could add a different herb. Ok so I will change one thing when I make this again. I will use about half of the melted butter. It made my chicken a little soggy. I slightly burned my bread crumbs (I blended up a mixture of white and whole wheat bread and then toasted them in the oven) and I was a bit worried about it but it didn't end up being a problem at all, you couldn't tell. I could tell that Mark liked them a lot because he didn't use any dip and usually he would use catchup with something like this. Anders liked it, too!

Chicken strips

2010-11-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Katrina and I made these last night for a quick dinner after a long day of work. I loved that the recipe was super fast to make, had many steps that she could help me in the kitchen with and I had everything needed on hand. Ok, well, sort of, I made some substitions. Instead of buttermilk I used 2 Tb sour cream diluted with 1 Tb milk, I used panko crumbs for the bread crumbs and a spritz of olive oil for the melted butter, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. I really liked the crispy coating, and the low fat version of chicken strips. I think next time I may cut back on the dill and add a different blend of seasoning to fit our tastes better but, we both enjoyed them. My favorite part, the leftovers didn't turn soggy and we ate them for lunch today! Thanks for another great recipe!!

PS pot roast review coming soon, can't seem to bring myself to make a roast for just 1.5 people to eat.

Apple Pot Roast

2010-10-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't say this picture looks all that appetizing, but I took one and it's always fun seeing a picture so I posted it anyway. I really liked the flavor of this roast. I would like to experiment with it again because I made some changes that I suspect didn't do this recipe justice. I used the crock pot. I think that's what made this roast SO dry. I am sorry that I did that. Is that what made it so dry? I need some advice here. Did yours turn out dry using the right method? I suspect not but someone please help me! Other than that it was great. I served it with Quinoa that I cooked in chicken broth instead of water and that was really good with it. I'll make it again...the right way. :)

Apple Pot Roast Review (Severns)

2010-10-27T17:30:00.001-07:00

I made the pot roast last night. First of all, I had one slight alteration to the recipe. I didn't have apple juice concentrate but decided to go ahead anyway because was fairly certain it would have been too sweet for our taste. I am glad I did this because the apple cider taste was pleasant but I wouldn't have wanted any more. Now for the family's review... It wasn't a hit. first of all, we are not huge red meat eaters. Both the kids ate it but didn't want more. Andy and I ate a small portion and thought it was good however, I'll likely not make it again. I did like the soy sauce and the zing it provided, I would suggest not omitting that. Actually, just now I had a thought that I may try this again with a pork roast or loin...

India Red Curry

2010-10-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! Wow, haven't posted in a while! I tried the Curry a while ago and put in tons of vegetables which was nice, I love to feel like I'm packing in the good stuff! I think I want to try this again because I didn't love it...BUT I think it's because it was way too sweet for my taste. I wish I would have left out the 3 Tablespoons of sugar at the end because I am really curious if I would have liked it then. Also, I think that if I had used curry paste instead of curry powder I would have liked it better. I left out the tomato sauce and I am glad I did, mine was pretty soupy. There you have it-my thoughts. I'm making the Apple Pot Roast tonight, can't wait, it's the perfect night for it because it has been storming all day. Cozy.

Chicken Strips

2010-10-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have not actually made this recipe. Andy found it on allrecipes.com and made it one night. IT WAS DELICIOUS! The next week when I was studying late I asked him to make it again - still wonderful. It appears to be very easy and what I like is that you likely have all the ingredients in the house already! The kids love it too. On the web site it's called 'Uncle Bill's Chicken Strips'. Enjoy!

Uncle Bill’s Chicken Strips

Servings 8

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or tenders

2 eggs

6 tablespoons buttermilk

1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Remove all fat from chicken breasts and cut into 1 inch by 4 inch strips or leave as tenders. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. In a plastic resealable bag mix together the bread crumbs, grated cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper and dill weed.

Dip each chicken strips into buttermilk mixture, then into bread crumb mixture (about 4 strips at a time), and toss to coat well. Place strips in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish and drizzle with melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning once after about 8 minutes of baking time.

Pan seared Salmon w/ white wine and salmon sauce

2010-10-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

I know it is totally not my turn to post a recipe but this was so incredibly delicious I can not wait to share it!!!! I can not rave about this enough! Please try it and let me know what you think!!!! As a side note, I served it with roasted potatoes and asparagus!!!!oh yeah, I wanted to post a pic, but it was so good I ate it all before I could. sorry!

Pan Seared salmon with shallot and white wine sauceJill Dupleix Sauce Bercy, a classic French sauce of shallots, white wine and parsley, is particularly good with pan-fried fish. Serve with lightly cooked Savoy cabbage, leeks, spring greens or cauliflower, or a mash of parsnip, swede and butternut or King Edward potatoes.

Ingredients
Feeds 4. Takes 25 mins.

4 thick, skin-on fillets of salmon, cod, haddock eg 180g each
1tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp very finely chopped parsley
Squeeze of lemon juice

FOR THE SAUCE

1tbsp butter
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
300ml dry white wine
100ml fish or chicken stock
75g cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
Sea salt and ground black or white pepper

In a non-reactive (ie, stainless steel or enamelled) saucepan, melt the butter, add the shallots and cook for five minutes without browning. Add the wine and fish stock, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and allow to bubble and reduce by three-quarters of its volume. With the pan half on and half off the gentle heat, and using a wire whisk, whisk in a few cubes of butter, then a few more, whisking continuously until all the butter is swallowed up by the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, and keep the sauce warm while you cook the fish.

Heat a heavy nonstick pan. Rub the skin of the fillets with olive oil, and scatter with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in the pan and cook over medium heat until the fish is almost cooked. Turn once, season with salt and pepper, and lightly cook the other side.

To serve, place the fish on warmed dinner plates. Add the parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce, stir well, and spoon around the fish.

Indian Red Curry Review (Severns)

2010-10-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

I actually made this two weeks ago but haven't gotten around to posting any pics or anything else. It was funny because just a day or two before Andy said "I am craving Indian Curry". Well that was convenient!
We made the curry together and it was fun! We wondered if we were suppose to use curry paste or dry curry seasoning. Andy thought it should be paste so that's what we used. Once it had simmered a while we both felt it was too tomato-y and needed something to give it some life. I suggested we use the dry curry spice and boy! did that do the trick. Dry curry spice has such a unique nice flavor. As you can see we added carrots and zucchini to ours as well as some left over grilled chicken. It was a hit! Four thumbs up!!

Apple Pot Roast

2010-10-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey there girls... I know this is a few days early but I got this pot roast recipe from a friend and it is wonderful!! I only made a few small alterations and I noted them on the recipe. I hope you love it! :o)

Ingredients
4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
12 oz frozen apple juice concentrate
2 tsp soy sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cups water
½ cup apple cider
1 (1 oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
4-5 medium-sized red potatoes (I did a bag of gourmet petite Yukon gold potatoes)
2 cups baby carrots (I did reg carrots cut to the size of baby carrots & 3 cups)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. On a cutting board, take roast and make 4 slits evenly spaced on the top. Spoon garlic into openings.

3. Pour water, apple juice concentrate, and soy sauce into dutch oven/roasting pan. Place roast in the pan and sprinkle onion soup mix over the roast. Carefully ladle liquid mixture over top to moisten, but keeping some of the soup mix on the roast.

4. Cover with aluminum foil/lid and place in oven for 2 hours.

5. After 2 hours, pull out pan and add the washed carrots and potatoes. Cover again and cook for an additional 2 hours or until fork tender. Enjoy!
Note: I cooked mine an additional 3 hours instead of 2 for a total of 5 till the roast was falling apart. Then made a gravy out of the liquid left in the pan.

India Red Curry

2010-09-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe my sister RAVES about and I have yet to try it. It sounds like everything I would love but have yet to get around making it so thought I would try it with you ladies!her favorite part is that it adapts well to whatever is in your fridge and takes no time to make (except maybe the rice)

1 1/2 tsp oil
2 Tbls curry (or more if you want)
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 can coconut milk
1 can tomatoe sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
3 Tbsp sugar

Saute the onion and curry in the oil about three-five minutes until the onion looks soft and clear.
Mix everything else together and simmer. I used my crock pot today after cooking the onions. Just be sure to use really low heat.

**Add cooked chicken (cut up leftovers or saute some breasts), and veggies galore. I have added pineapple too. It is sooo good my kids eat it up.

I serve over brown rice.

Better Late Than Never?

2010-09-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

Alright, I (finally) posted the dates for our next round. Thanks for your patience. :) I did rearrange names only slightly because I didn't want the gals at the end to have to be last anymore! Let me know if you have any comments or dislikes about the schedule! Bon Appetit!

Asian inspired "grilled" halibut

2010-09-17T23:13:00.001-07:00

This is a new favorite recipe! I found it on allrecipes.com and love it!!! I will copy the recipe into the post but first here are a few notes

* I make the sauce and use it as a marinade for about 30 minutes before cooking and skip the basting step.

* I tend to cook the meat/fish in a "foil pack" on the grill but have also done so in the oven since I prefer my fish to be moist and not have the crispy edges.

*I have used halibut, cod, tilapia, chicken and even a pork chop in this same recipe all turned out fabulous!!!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (1 pound) halibut steak
Directions
1.Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2.Place butter, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, and pepper in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved.
3.Lightly oil grill grate. Brush fish with brown sugar sauce, and place on grill. Cook for 5 minutes per side, or until fish can be easily flaked with a fork, basting with sauce. Discard remaining basting sauce.

Lemon Parfaits

2010-05-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

So I know we're not officially blogging now, but I thought I'd still throw this out there for the fun of it. I was asked to bring a dessert to a dinner party the other night. It was a sunny, warm day (which is rare in Juneau) and I didn't feel like having to put anything in the oven. Then I found this parfait recipe on Epicurious. The presentation was really nice, and the recipe was quite easy. Definitely a nice summer dessert recipe to have on hand.

Lemon Parfaits w/Rasberries

1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 1/4 cups purchased lemon curd (from two 11 1/4-ounce jars) (I think 1 cup would be enough)
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
3 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (from three 1/2-pint baskets)

Using electric mixer, beat cream in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Mix lemon curd, lemon juice and peel in another large bowl to blend. Fold in whipped cream, then 2 1/2 cups raspberries.

Divide lemon mixture among six 8- to 10-ounce wineglasses or dessert cups. Cover and chill until parfaits are cold, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.

Sprinkle remaining 1 cup raspberries atop parfaits and serve immediately.

Blog I'm Loving

2010-05-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Full of beautiful food.....so far I just lurk around the site and oogle the yummy pics...but once I'm in the swing of things I really hope to try many of the recipes.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/index.html

Summer Break?

2010-05-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am sort of assuming we will break for the summer... is that agreeable to everyone?

Chicken Stir Fry Review (Severns)

2010-05-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made Staci's stir fry and it was good! I did everything according to the recipe and it was so tasty. My mom and I really liked it and the kids were sort of into it. They mostly picked out the broccoli, carrots and chicken. :)

oopsy!

2010-05-05T06:19:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh girls... i'm sooo sorry, I totally forgot to post a recipe this weekend!
It was my birthday so I was gone all weekend and celebrating lots with friends and dinner parties on the weekend and to the spa on monday for pedicures and lunch with the girls..I just got home last night after work and had much unpacking to do. So again I apologize!

I just made this recipe for a dinner party/potluck fiesta this weekend and with summer in the air and cinco de mayo on the calender here is a fun corn salsa.... especially with the "hint of lime" tortilla chips...mmmmm

Corn Salsa
1 can diced tomatoes or more (16 oz. petite dice)
1 green pepper
1-3 garlic cloves
1 small or medium onion
cilantro to taste
1 can black beans
frozen corn
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Tabasco sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
lime juice (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar

Chop green pepper and onion. Dice garlic. Chop cilantro. Drain/rinse corn. Combine all ingredients.

Wild Rice Salad Review (Severns)

2010-05-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

We had this yum-yum-yummy recipe for dinner tonight! I did everything according to the recipe except two things that sort of fit my current lifestyle. I made the rice and grilled the chicken yesterday. So I actually served everything sort of room temp. When I read the recipe I couldn't imagine eating it chilled so this worked out! I really LOVED the dressing, in fact I am going to jot that part of the recipe on a sticky note and put it in my pantry so it's handy! My kids really liked this dinner too although I cut their chicken into finger slices and they had it with bbq sauce but they liked the rice veggie combo! Three thumbs up!

Chicken & Asparagus Review

2010-04-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

I really liked these recipes. I cook both chicken and asparagus a lot so it was nice to try some different techniques. I loved how the asparagus turned out. I followed the recipe exactly. The chicken was also quite good. Both Jeremy and I thought it needed a dipping sauce. We went really gourmet: mustard for him bbq sauce for me. I served it with couscous with pine nuts, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese. It made for a good, easy, healthy weeknight meal.

Oven Baked Chicken and Roasted Asparagus

2010-04-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Good dinner! Thanks for the good chicken recipe, I will make this again because it was yummy and healthy AND easy. I did everything as the recipe said and served it with french bread and everyone liked it. What did everybody else think?

Last Night's Delight

2010-04-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, dorky title, but seriously, I enjoyed the wild rice last night so much! I am looking forward to eating more for lunch today. I didn't read carefully last night so it was too late to serve it completely chilled. We had it a little cooler than room temp and it was delicious. So today I'll have it chilled. I really loved the mix of flavors. The almonds totally made it. Actually, I could say that about the cranberries, and red onion, too! I used veg. oil instead of canola because that was what I had. I used a little more carrots and celery than it called for. I can't really think of anything else that I did differently. I will make this again. It will be great for a summer meal, or potlucks and get-togethers of all sorts. I just loved it!

Tisha's Latest Recipe

2010-04-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Gals!
I know it's odd to post like this but was afraid if I commented to Tisha's recipe, no body would see it.
Question: the last line of the recipe says "cover and chill", does this mean that you combine everything at the end and after you chill it you then serve it cold? I am confused. Has anyone got any advise or experience on this recipe yet? Thanks!

Chicken or Pork stir-fry

2010-04-18T01:56:00.000-07:00

This is my standby for a quick easy dinner! I love the simplicity of it and the great flavors I can create with whatever I have on hand. For an even faster meal I have done the meat as usual and then used a bag of frozen stir fry mix veggies. That works okay but I suggest defrosting veggies first or they are too wet to stirfry. This is not from any original recipe so please feel free to use measurements loosely and to your taste!

Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts or pork chops (or tofu)
1 TB cornstarch
1 Tb veggie oil (more for cooking)
1 c. or so of chicken stock
2 Tb soy sauce
1 Tb worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili pepper paste ( this comes in a tube in produce section)
1 small onion (sliced pole to pole)
1 bell pepper (chop into med chunks)
1 large carrot (thin cut on a sharp diagonal to shorten cooking time)
1 stalk celery (chopped on thin diagonal)
1 c. other veggies ( I use whatever is in need of eating in the fridge)
1 c. cashews
Rice to serve with is great!

Slice meat in thin strips and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle cornstarch over it and the oil. This should make a thin paste over the meat if not adjust starch/oil to coat all meat without being soupy. Let rest while you chop veggies.

Chop all veggies.

Preheat Wok until it is hot. Add about 1 Tb oil to wok and swirl around pan. Add meat to pan but do not stir until the meat easily releases from the pan. When all meat is almost fully cooked add Onions, peppers, celery and carrots. Add a splash of stock to wok as needed to help cook the veggies but it should not be soupy and evaporates quickly. Add your other veggie based on how quickly it cooks. (Zuc. , peas, mushrooms, etc take about 3 minutes. broc, cabbage, cauliflower etc a little longer).

As veggies come to the desired softness for you start to add a little more stock to make a bit of sauce for stirfry. The starch from the meat releases to help thicken the stock. Then add the chili pepper, soy sauce, and worcestershire sauce to stirfry. Just before serving toss in the cashews mix well and serve over rice.

Oven baked Chicken and roasted asparagus

2010-04-18T01:46:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that my family has done for almost 20 years. My dad was a fan of fried chicken but after his triple bypass surgery this was the closest he was allowed to come to it.

Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups Grape nuts flakes
3/4 c non fat milk
salt and pepper to taste
PAM or spray oil (if you have it)

1 bunch asparagus
olive oil
1 TB minced garlic fresh or (1/2 Tb dried)
salt and pepper
2 TB sherry

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
pour milk in one shallow bowl and cereal in another. Dip chicken in milk and then in cereal and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spray lightly with PAM or olive oil spritzer. Bake chicken for 10 minutes and turn oven temp down to 350 degrees and bake until chicken is done (appx. 2o minutes). Remove from oven and let rest 3-5 minutes before cutting into it.

Meanwhile, trim your asparagus and place in a shallow baking dish. drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic, salt and pepper on top and bake until soft (thin asparagas takes about 10-15 min thick takes about 20-25 minutes). Remove from oven and drizzle the sherry over the top. Be careful the sherry may steam a bit in the hot pan.

I have also made the Orzo recipe that Rachel posted long ago but used quinoa instead of the orzo to go with this meal and thought it went well together.

2 for 1 deal!!!

2010-04-18T01:43:00.000-07:00

Ladies, I could not decide on one recipe! I wanted to post one this time that is a staple in my house. Something I tend to have all ingredients on hand, light on the budget, and quick and easy to make. I narrowed it down to 3 recipes, herb roasted chicken, stir-fry and oven baked chicken. I am going to post 2 of these recipes and feel free to do both or choose which one your family may use more often and review that one.

Chicken & Wild Rice Salad

2010-04-05T22:13:00.001-07:00

A few times a year, when I'm short on time to cook, I buy a smoked turkey from our nearby meat market. I can use the turkey all week to make quesadillas, turkey soup, curried turkey salad, etc. without having to do any meat prep. I stumbled across this recipe when looking for another tasty use for my smoked turkey. It is colorful and tasty - and it even passes as a "salad" minus the lettuce. It was my first attempt at using wild rice, which takes a while to cook, but is definitely worth the wait! Enjoy!

Chicken & Wild Rice Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup fig vinegar or white whine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbl canola oil

Remaining ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups uncooked wild rice
1 tbl butter
cooking spray
1 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast (or turkey)(or grilled chicken)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted
2 tbl minced red onion

1. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Cover and chill.
2. Combine broth, rice, and butter in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid absorbed (mine took longer than 45 minutes). Remove rice mixture from heat; cool.
3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 8 minutes on each side or until done. Cool; cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
4. Combine cooked rice, chicken, celery, carrots, cranberries, almonds, and red onion in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

Yield 6 servings.

Breakfast Potatoes and French Toast Souffle

2010-03-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

The biggest thing I took away from this recipe is that I wish I would have put the corn flakes on!!! I didn't mean to omit this but I didn't see that part of the recipe until I was actually making it and I didn't have them. So sad. They were good, although, if I make them again I think I will add some chives or bits of ham or something like that. I made the French toast souffle, too and I liked it. I think that I may save this recipe for overnight guests. It was special and easy and I will definitely add apples, too. That would be delicious!

Potato & Lentil Review (Severns)

2010-03-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

I am in Oregon and have enjoyed making the latest two recipes with Eva! Yesterday morning we made the potato casserole. It was easy. The only alteration we made was less cheese. When we ate it, I couldn't help thinking it was really bland. I added more salt and pepper but it didn't really help. This morning we scrambled eggs and ate them along with it. I thought this along with the casserole sitting 24 hours was an improvement.

Tonight I made the lentil recipe and it was really good. I really like all the fresh veggies in it. I didn't alter the recipe at all. Eva made polenta to go along with it and it was a great companion. This recipe will be added to my regulars.

Input please....

2010-03-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Alright fellow chic chefs (and loyal followers), I am quite curious to know which of the recipes we have done in the past couple years (can you believe that???) have you added to your repitoire, which ones you refer to friends and MOST importantly, what kind of recipes are you hoping to see someone post!

I am selfishly using you to help narrow down my next recipe choice. I also find myself coming back to the blog to get inspiration for dinner and have truly valued this resource!!!! Thank you all and I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Breakfast for dinner anyone?

2010-03-26T11:23:00.001-07:00

I combined the French Toast Souffle, with the "cheesy potatoes" for dinner this week. I absolutely loved that in about 10 minutes before work I was able to prep the souffle and the ingredients for the potatoes. When I got home I spent 5 minutes mixing potato stuff together and baked both at the same time at 350. Then I was free to play with katrina while it baked.

The results were mixed! My biggest problem with the dinner was that there was WAAAAAAAY to much food for the 1.5 of us to eat. I loved the potatoes (I did sub fresh onion for dried minced onion) as did kat. The souffle was not my fav that night. It was okay but lacked some flavor (I did add a cinnamon/sugar/coconut sprinkle I have to top) and the bread was too soft for my liking. Although, I give the recipe HUGE props because the next day I brough it to work and all 3 kids ate it up for lunch and again the next day ASKED for it for their snack (over ice cream I might add).

I will make both again, when we are feeding more people. I think I will also either make a reduced fruit compote/chutney with it or add meat or fruit to it as it bakes. I think it is a great starter recipe and am excited to see what I can build off of it.

and yes, 5 days later we are still eating the potatoes and they are just as yummy!

Lentil Bolognese

2010-03-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring! It's official now, thank goodness! I am always happy when the first day of spring comes and goes. Just closer to summer! With that said, the recipe I have chosen really is kind of a fall winter meal, and it's not necessarily new and exciting but I recently tried it and really loved it. I wanted to share it because it is a healthy and delicious alternative to a regular beef bolognese. Less fat, too and it is a good one to have in your repertoire. In the cookbook that I found this it says to serve it with pasta, as a crepe stuffing or a sauce for vegetables. I served it with polenta and it was SO good!

Lentil Bolognese

Serves 6

1 Onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 carrots, coarsely grated
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 T. olive oil
2/3 C. red lentils
1- 14oz. can chopped tomatoes
2T. tomato paste
2 C. stock
1T. fresh marjoram, chopped or 1t. dried marjoram
salt and ground black pepper

1. In a large saucepan , gently fry the onion, garlic, and celery in the oil for about 5 minutes, until they are soft.

2.Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, marjoram, and seasoning.

3. Bring the mixture to a boil then partially cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes until thick and soft.

Review of the Breakfast potatoes and the French Toast Souffle.

2010-03-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

We has some friends over for brunch this morning....I had decided to make the potatoes and the souffle both along with some turkey bacon, oj and coffee.
Our guest were set to arrive at 11am...French toast souffle was put together the night before and all went smoothly, the potatoes were in the oven at 9, souffle went in at 10 then at about 10:30 just as i was getting ready to put the bacon in the oven and cook the souffle for another 20-30 min....we heard pop, crack, sizzle.... "what was that?" we ran to the kitchen only to see the heating element in the bottom of the oven sparking and a few small flams. Off when the oven out came all the rest of the food....After we were done scurrying around the kitchen "putting out flames" so to speak and a bit litteral too.
I decided to finish half of the souffle in the microwave and half in the toster oven. Thankfully the potatoes were already all done. First of all, the only alteration I did to the French toast souffle is added in a little cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to the mixture poured over the bread the night before. I would not reccomending finishing it in the microwave...ever. haha, it was not horrible but was not great either. The half that came out of the toaster oven was delightful. Everyone enjoyed both of the reciepes and we all ate till our hearts content. Over all what could have been a distastor turned out to be a delicious brunch! Thank you ladies.
happy cooking
-serena :)

Breaskfast Potatoes!

2010-03-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

This is so good! My mom and gram have made this forever! My mom even makes up a ton for there big church x-mas breakfast. We have made it as a main breakfast dish and as a side. So do what you want and enjoy!

32oz frozen hashbrowns-shredded
2cups cheese
1/2 med onion chopped-you can skip this one if for some reason you don't like onions
1 can celary soup
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 pint sour cream
Salt and pepper

Mix everything together and put in a 9/13 greased pan.

Mix 2 cups of corn flakes and 1/4cup melted butter and spread over top. Bake at 350 for about and hour!

Hope you all enjoy this and again sorry i'm so late on getting up! But it is the story of my life!

I'm so sorry!

2010-03-09T14:03:00.001-08:00

So I'm lame. I did remember on Sunday that i needed to post but then i don't know what happen! I was going to do it last night but then my parents came over with dinner so that messed up my plan! So I'm at work now (on hold for like the last 15 minutes) but once i get home I'm going to post. It is another breakfast dish. Carrie and i were going to do them at the same time but then me, my husband and Carson all got sick and I'm also training for a 1/2 marathon so all this running is getting in the way too! So again I'm sorry to hold you all up and i will be posting tonight! Thanks ladies!

Greek Chicken & Pita Bread Review (Severns)

2010-03-06T15:06:00.001-08:00

Well, even though I was the one who submitted these recipes I had to make them because I hadn't before. I made the pita bread two days before my company came for the weekend. It was so easy. I spent the day at home with the kids and it was nothing to complete step by step the recipe. I divided the product into two batches, one for the freezer (for a couple weeks later) and one for the fridge for two days later.

I followed the recipe exactly and liked how the bread came out. When it came to frying them in the pan I didn't have so much luck. I couldn't seem to get little enough oil. Ultimately I ended up doing the last piece (my piece) in the pan without oil. I liked that the best. So when I get the rest of them out of the freezer next week I think I'll just heat them in the pan without the oil.

The chicken!!! Oh Man, the chicken was delicious! I sliced fat slices of red onion and red pepper and put them on the grill as I was grilling the chicken (I used breast meat). They added so much to the experience. I made a green Greek salad and served tzaziki sauce for the sandwiches. Everyone loved the meal. Andy called in the middle of our dinner and was so jealous he wasn't eating yummy Greek food but sandy Brit food! (HaHaHa) I'll have to make it again in July!

PS: I am making the entire meal again this week when my dad visits!

French Toast Souffle Review (Severns)

2010-03-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I intended to make the souffle the night my company arrived and serve it the next morning but that didn't happen. I ended up making it the morning we ate it. I think I may have used more bread than I was suppose to. I didn't weight the slices of bread but to me it was too much. I also added cinnamon over the top before I baked it. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly -- proud of me?!

Everyone loved it. I liked it. It was good. By the end of my piece it was too much cream cheese flavor. My friend Ellen suggested baking sliced apples in it and I agree. My idea was sliced fresh strawberries spooned over top. My kids loved it and ate more than any adult at the table! All-in-all it was a hit but I won't make it all the time, just occasionally.

Scrumptious Souffle

2010-03-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

So I was a little skeptical about this recipe as I assembled it on Friday night, but boy did it turn out to be scrumptious! I didn't have 1/2 & 1/2 on hand, so I just skipped it altogether, and it still turned out fabulous. I used my favorite french toast bread - challah - and sprinkled some cinnamon on top before baking. I did only end up needing to cook it for about 40 minutes, but that may have been because I had less liquid in mine. It tasted delicious - just like french toast, and it reheated really nicely in the microwave so we enjoyed it all weekend. I will definitely be making this again. It would be a great recipe for company since you can do it all the night before. Thank you, Carrie, for encouraging us to do something different!

New Recipe: French Toast Souffle

2010-02-22T21:52:00.000-08:00

I have carried this recipe around in a binder of recipes for the last 5 years! I've always wanted to try it but for whatever reason never pulled it out. Thought a breakfast/brunch dish would be a fun and different change. I'm planning on making this for the family this Saturday and serving it with chicken apple sausages from a local butcher.....along with a big cup of coffee!! Oh, and this is a Cooking Light recipe so a little less guilt if its good enough to go for a second slice!

A firm white bread produces the best texture in this make-ahead breakfast casserole. (Love that its make ahead!!)

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 slice of souffle and 1 tablespoon maple syrup)

Ingredients

10 cup (1-inch) cubed sturdy white bread (such as Pepperidge Farm Hearty White, about 16 (1-ounce) slices)
Cooking spray
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat-cream cheese, softened
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup

Preparation

Place bread cubes in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Beat cream cheese at medium speed of mixer until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add milk, half-and-half, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over top of bread; cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove bread mixture from refrigerator; let stand on counter for 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the souffle with powdered sugar, and serve with maple syrup.

Many of the reviewers of this recipe added cinnamon to the top and even to the cream cheese, so if you like cinnamon you may want to do that. Also I'd encourage the use of real maple syrup as well. Happy Cooking!

GREEK!!

2010-02-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

I made the greek inspired chicken tonight. The whole meal was delish! I did it a little different and cheated a bit. I decided to cut the chicken up and skewer it shish ka bob (know thats not right spelling just looks funny) style with veggies. Then purchased locally made pita bread which we then stuffed with the veggies and chicken and topped with tzatziki sauce. Served it with a greek salad and with some couscous as well as hummus on the side for dipping extra bread in. Yum Yum! I would like to try the home made flat bread next time. Will be making this again!

Delicious...

2010-02-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

and just the ticket for my winter blues. I really enjoyed eating and making this meal. I will make it again. I love Greek food so I'm not surprised. It makes me want to make Carrie's recipes again from last summer.
A few things: I used all dried herbs on the chicken because I didn't want to spend the money this time. I know that it would have tasted completely different (and better) with fresh. Also, we didn't have our BBQ set up yet because we just moved so I broiled it. Again, it was really good but I know it would have been so much better grilled. My pita bread was tough and that was disappointing. Any hints? I might have left it in the oven a little too long. The thing that I enjoyed most about this meal was eating it all together. I just love how good the flavors meld in Greek food! YUMM!

Pita Power

2010-02-15T11:50:00.001-08:00

I tried the chicken and pitas over the weekend, and they were both delicious! I wasn't able to marinate the chicken for as long as the recipe suggested, but the flavor was still wonderful. I also subbed a few of the fresh herbs for dried ones, and again, the flavor was still good.
The pita bread was really easy to make! Of course, my sister was visiting so she was able to help me roll (or toss) the pita dough into rounds, which cut down on the prep time. We accidentally made a few of the pitas too thick, but in general they turned out great - and held together quite well. And of course we fealt like domestic goddesses at having made them from scratch.
We grilled red onions and peppers in addition to the chicken, and served feta cheese and tzatziki sauce on the side. All in all a great Greek meal. Thank you, Rachel!

Greek Food!!!

2010-02-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Alright Chic Chefs, here we go! I am so excited because we are starting another round, I finished my midterms, and I love Greek food!
A few weeks ago I met a new friend and she had the kids and me over for dinner. She made an amazing Greek meal! So, thanks to Darla for sharing her recipes! I am only going to include two recipes for the official submission but highly recommend you serve this with tzatziki sauce and a fresh green Greek salad (lettuce, spinach, feta, kalamata olives, tomato, cucumber, etc.)

As the Greeks say, “Kali Orexi!”

Pita Bread (Courtesy of www.greekfood.about.com)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 4 cups of bread flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Dissolve in the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture and salt water. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl. Add olive oil and continue to knead until all oil is absorbed. Shape into a ball in the bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), and lightly oil baking sheets.
Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places.
Place on baking sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray covered with a clean dishtowel, with another clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.
Before using, brown in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until browned on both sides.

Grilled Chicken, Serves 8 (Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com)
*Darla added onion and red pepper and also just used boneless skinless chicken cut into strips.

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
In a glass dish, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lemon juice. Place the chicken pieces in the mixture, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and discard the marinade. Cook chicken pieces up to 15 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Smaller pieces will not take as long.

Next Round

2010-01-27T21:10:00.000-08:00

I can't remember how many rounds we've completed!

Alright, I've updated the calendar for our new round. However, I was wondering if Sunday is still a good day for us to post our recipes because it seemed some of us where late with their recipe post this last round. Let me know.

Looking forward to several more new recipes! Happy Cooking!

Takes 3 tango???? or at least cook

2010-01-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

Friday night I had the pleasure of having Nikki and carrie over to cook with me! Our mission was to make the Gingered carrot soup. To accompany the soup we had panini sandwiches and an assortment of fabulous desserts and wine! Admittedly we were all a bit hesitant to make the soup. I for one am not a huge soup fan especially pureed soups so it was a stretch. When the soup was finished we debated on adding the brown sugar or not and after a taste test decided that would be a great addition (good call Serena). We all agreed that the soup was lacking a little kick, and went searching for the "missing" layer of flavor. We didn't want to run the entire pot of soup so we made a few little tester bowls and added different things to each bowl! By the time we finished we had found our "secret ingredient" and all agreed the soup was much better than we gave it credit for. Although i probably won't add this to my regular menus I can see it being a great starter for a morrocan meal. I actually took the leftovers and froze them thinking I want to try making a sorbet out of it to accompany such a meal. It may turn out terrible but I think the cold yet spicy flavor could be a huge hit with the right meal. I will keep you posted!! Thanks Serena for broadening my horizons!!!!

Gingered Carrot Soup Review

2010-01-24T18:45:00.000-08:00

Chopping Ginger

Carrot Peeling!

and Slicing!

and Blending!

The Main Course!

Dessert!

So the advantage of three chic chefs living in one place is when we are behind we can help get each other get caught up!!. We got together Friday night to make the Ginger Carrot soup accompanied by a Panini sandwich (turkey, pesto, provolone, spinach, tomato on sourdough YUM!) and Dessert (strawberry cheesecake, lemon tart, chocolate fudge cake YUM Again!) After lots of ginger chopping, carrot chopping and simmering, and much wine flowing......we took Serena's advice and used an immersion blender to blend up the soup. We also added the brown sugar and even added a bit more then recommended. At our initial taste test we all felt it needed a little something so we put a bit in two bowls and did one bowl with nutmeg and one with curry. The ingredient that won was the curry, we all liked the little zip it added to the soup. We all agreed that we enjoyed the soup, that it tasted good but that it was unlikely we would add it to the list of soups we normally make unless we had a craving for carrots! :) It was good and went great with our sandwiches and wine, we would definitely recommend panini's as a good pairing with it. And of course follow it up with a yummy dessert! Look forward to hearing how everyone else chooses to make this!

Chicken Pad Thai

2010-01-21T21:41:00.001-08:00

We were two for one tonight and followed the Brown Rice Salad with the Pad Thai which you can tell from the title we did with chicken. Loved how quick this cooked up! We took Staci's advice and precooked our noodles in the microwave. We decided maybe for us 3mins would have been better then 5 because once we added them in with the food and cooked it all up it got a bit mushy by serving time. We also doubled the sauce as we had quite a bit of noodles and chicken. We did a store bought sauce and could only find one with plum and ginger. We actually ended up dumping even more of the sauce in beyond what the recipe called for as it seemed to be lacking the kick we were hoping for.

Chicken Pad Thai is one of my favorite foods and it was fun to try it at home. I thought it was good and will try again this time watching the length of time the noodles cook and maybe trying to find a different sauce....maybe even doing it from scratch.

Brown Rice Salad

2010-01-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

So Nikki and I made this tonight and I loved how quick and easy it was. We decided to go vegetarian. We actually did not have mushrooms, they got forgotten off the grocery list as did the avocados. I think I would have loved the flavor of the avocados with this and think I'll do it again just to try it. Nikki is not an avocado fan so she did not miss them. I'm not a mushroom fan so didn't miss those. We both could see where Tishas suggestion of more veggies would be good. I'm wondering if I'll like it even more tomorrow cold instead of with the rice warm. This is something that unfortunately most of the rest of my family and Nikkis would not be to into but we could see making it for lunch over a couple of days for ourselves and maybe getting the kiddos to eat it that way. Good pick Tisha!

How is Everybody?

2010-01-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hey Chic Chefs! Happy New Year!
So are we up for another round or what!? Talk about a slow start to the year. In actuality, I know it hasn't really been a slow start for some of us - it's been BUSY! We have babies due this year, my husband is residing in Afghanistan for the first HALF of the year, what else? Let's catch up with everyone and converse about this next round. What do you want to do? How (if different) you want to do things? I am looking forward to hearing from everyone! :)

Pot Roast

2010-01-05T08:15:00.001-08:00

Ladies I just made a pot roast this past weekend...mmm I think it was the best one i've made yet and what a wonderful winter meal for company or just your family.
Just thought i would share....

pot roast (close to 3lbs)
put in a stainless steel pan (my grandma has found pot roast turns out best in a stainless steel dutch oven pan in the oven) I agree!

2 cans low sodium mushroom soup
2-3 packets herb-ox low sodium beef broth with equal amts of water (2-3 cups)
1 bag baby carrots

1 onion
5 cloves garlic
1 pack of baby portabella mushrooms sliced
(these three items all sauteed in some olive oil and i used a lil porchini olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste

(note: there should be enough liquid in there by the time your done to totally submerse your roast...

cook on 325 for about 4-5 hours or untill it is literally falling apart. mmmm
pull out meat and carrots with a strainer if you have too or a slotted spoon.
and thicken the gravy on the stove top.

It was a big hit and we served roasted potatoes, someone also brought mashed.
Enjoy, if try it

HAPPY NEW YEAR LADIES!!

Gingered Carrot Soup

2009-12-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Girls....I know we did soups before and I hope I haven't shared this one with you yet but I've made it a couple of times and I really like it.

Gingered Carrot Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 C. minced onion
1/4 C. minced peeled fresh ginger
3 C. (or more) chicken stock/broth (low sodium)
4 C. sliced peeled carrots (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
1 C. orange juice (best if fresh squeezed)
1/2 C. half and half
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 C matchstick-size strips peeled carrot (for garnish, optional)
1 Tbs. matchstick-size strips peeled fresh giner (for garnish: optional)
**NOTE I added a little brown sugar to taste & a little salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-heat
Add onion and 1/4 cup minced ginger and saute until onion is translucen, about 5 min. Add 3 C. chicken stock and 4 C. sliced carrots. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.
Working in batches, puree mixture in blender or processor. **NOTE: I used an emersion blender right in the pan...worked out beautifully.
Return soup to saucepan. Mix in orange juice, than half and half. Cook over low heat 5 minutes. Mix in ground cinnamon. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladel soup into bowls, Top soup with carrot and giner strips if desired and serve.

2009-12-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Time has gotten away from me with so much going on...I realized I have not posted my recipe for this week! OOPS! I will be posting that tomorrow evening....sorry for the delay Ladies!

Staci's Salisbury Steaks

2009-12-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

I made the steaks the Saturday after Thanksgiving while my dad and his wife, Teresa were visiting us. It was a great dinner and we all enjoyed it! I didn't have garlic powder so I used fresh (I think about 3 or 4 cloves) and we all agreed that I should not have used so much. I love garlic and usually subscribe to the "more is always better" method, but this time Teresa made a great point that the garlic over-powered the other more subtle flavors like the green pepper. I'm sure that if I used the garlic powder this would not have happened. Other than that I did every thing the way the recipe directed and served it with mashed potatoes. I will make this again. It was definitely comfort food.

THANKSGIVING

2009-11-25T20:10:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING LADIES! HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!

Staci's Salisbury Steaks and green beans

2009-11-23T00:07:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe I really enjoy that I got from my in-laws. I must admit I am not a mushroom fan so now that I can cook it my way I cut them up very small and don't notice them. I hope you enjoy a break from the turkey leftovers and try this one out!

1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2 pkt onion soup mix
1 lb ground beef (also have used turkey but then cut oatmeal if it feels dry)
1/2 c. dry oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 c. finely chopped onions
1 1/4 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 c green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3 pinches garlic powder
2 dollops Worcestershire sauce
1 dollop tabasco sauce
2Tb butter

potatoes, noodles, or rice to serve with.

Mix 1/4 c of the mushrooms and all ingredients except mushroom soup, butter, and remaining mushrooms. Cover and let rest in fridge 2 hrs (or up to 24hr). Form into patties and cook in large skillet over med. high heat until cooked through and nicely browned, time varies depending on thickness of your patties. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add butter and mushrooms to skillet and saute until mushrooms for a few minutes, add the mushroom soup and a bit of water to thin out. Bring to boil, reduce heat add patties back, and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve over noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

I have also made this into meatballs and it is good but I prefer the patties.

I love doing the green beans this way to serve with this.
1 lb fresh green beans cut french style
1 tsp salt
1 tb butter

Boil enough water to cover your beans and add salt and beans. Cook until beans are almost tender but not too soft. drain the water and beans, add butter to pan and melt. return beans to pan and cook about 3-5 minutes or until beans start to brown slightly, add salt or peper to taste and serve.

Pad Thai Review (Severns)

2009-11-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, I finally got around to making the Pad Thai and it was good. This is Andy's favorite Thai dish and not so much a fav of mine. Ironically when I made this recipe I liked it more than he did. I like the chewy-ness of the rice noodles. The problem is that Andy has found a restaurant here that serves Pad Thai that sends him to Thai heaven... so he's a little picky now.
Anyway, I followed the recipe exactly because this is a dish I have never made before. It was good and even though I liked it I probably won't waste my time to make it again. :(

FYI: Pad Thai

2009-11-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Ladies, I went to the site to see if I could find how many servings this recipe makes and it said one. I am guessing it is a large serving...Staci, any feed back?

By Request: Seven Layer Bars

2009-11-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

These are very yummy, melt in your mouth bars that are so easy to make and take with you! They are a (extended) family favorite.

Seven Layer Bars

In a 9 x 13 pan, layer in order:
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
6 oz. butterscotch chips
6 oz. chocolate chips
7 oz. coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if desired)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. When cool, cut in desired sized squares.

So Good So Easy, Just had to share

2009-11-17T19:36:00.001-08:00

hey ladies,
I came across this recipe online and tried it. It is a fablous quick recipe I will be making often and thought I would share. I know it is my turn to post this week and have another recipe in mind so don't let this freebie confuse you.

Crock pot Pork chops and Rice

mix 1 c. flour, 1/2 tsp dry mustard and 1/2 tsp salt in plastic bag. Throw in 4 boneless pork chops (or a small pork roast) to coat. Brown meat in skillet with oil (3-4min). Place pork in crock pot and dump a can of condensed chicken and rice soup over it. (Or as I did, 2 cups rice, 1 can cream soup, and 1 c. broth). Cook on low for 6 hrs or high 4hr (roast may take longer). The pork was soooo tender and not dry at all. I loved that I could have it ready with only about 7 min of prep time.

Rice Salad Review (Severns)

2009-11-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Well, this was a hit! I loved it and the kids liked it. I was proud of them because this really isn't 'kid' food but they ate it up! I did not use tofu or chicken, I wanted a vegetarian meal. I did not miss it. I pureed the dressing in the blender because I prefer it that way. Other than that I didn't really change anything. This recipe is straight forward and easy. Yeah! I think it's delicious, can't wait for the left-overs tomorrow! Four thumbs up!

PS: I haven't forgotten the Pad Thai, it's on my menu for next week!

Holiday Treats!

2009-11-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Ladies, so I know this is a bit early but we are planning on having a Christmas party and I'm looking for some dessert ideas. Anything goes, cookies, bars, whatever. If you have a favorite treat I'd love the recipe. Thanks!!