Chicken, Rice, and Squash

Jake came back from camp last night and slept for 17 hours straight. He said he would make dinner tonight because it was my bday.

He took boneless skinless chicken breast and rubbed it with Chinese 5 spice, baked it for 20 minutes, then he made some fried rice to go with it( it was the chicken helper fried rice), he also sauteed some of the squash that Robyn brought me. It was a really good dinner.

Fish

I know I haven't posted in a few days but I haven't been cooking and Jake is away at camp. Tonight though I really didn't "cook". I took some of the Joe's Crab Shack microwave meals to my sister's house. Each bag contains 2 pieces of fish(tonight it was cod and tiliapia. It was 2 bags) veggies(tonight one had squash and the other had green beans and red peppers) and both had orzo. The cod came with a dill shallot sauce and the tilapia came with a lemon butter sauce. It was actually really good.

I probably won't do any more cooking the rest of the month, if I am lucky. Jake will be home Saturday then on Monday we are off to my sister's in Oregon because she's getting married.

Chicken Tacos and Peach Cobbler

Tonight my sister said she was cooking. She made chicken tacos. they were good.

I made a peach cobbler today from some peaches a friend brought me yesterday. They were very yummy peaches but they gave me blisters in my mouth, I should know better.

Ingredients
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Egg Noodles with Bolognese Sauce and Vanilla Souffle

So tonight was suppose to be Jake and Dakota, but things happen and Jake was stuck cooking with me. They had planned on cooking these 2 things so I was just there to help. For the pasta we did the following, heat 2 tbls EVOO in a large dutch oven then we added 1 pound of ground turkey( the recipe called for 1lb ground beef, and 1 lb ground veal but my sister can only have chicken and turkey) you cook that until the turkey is dry and very well brown and crusty. Then add 1 finely chopped carrot, 1 rib finely chopped celery, 1 onion finely chopped, 2 to 3 large cloves of garlic thinly sliced (I suggest 4 to 5), 1 bay leaf, salt, 1/4 cup mixed herbs( parsley, rosemary, thyme ans sage) (Jake is allergic to sage so we used basil)and pepper, cook until veggies are tender. Then add 2 tbls tomato paste. Add 1 cup dry white wine, 1 28 oz diced tomatoes, add 1 cup milk(we used lactose free milk) and a pinch of ground cloves. Put in on simmer for a good 45 minutes, we did about 30.

Meanwhile boil a large pot of water, salt then add the egg noodles. Drain add 1/2 of the sauce to the noodles, toss well, Serve wit sauce on top of it along with freshly grated Parmesan.

Jake also sauteed some of the fresh squash that Robyn Slye brought us today, he added some of the cucumber(it wasn't great in there, but what does a kid that doesn't eat veggies know).

Dakota and Jake started the souffles this morning because the custard had to sit.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk, divided
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, separated
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting
• Fresh berries

Preparation:

How to make vanilla soufflé:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a large soufflé dish and roll 1/4 cup of granulated sugar throughout the dish, making sure to cover all the interior surfaces. Set aside the prepared soufflé dish.

Bring 1 cup of the milk to just steaming in a medium saucepan set over low-medium heat. Stir together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, and the remaining 1/3 cup milk until it forms a smooth batter.

Slowly whisk half of the hot milk into the batter, making sure to combine the ingredients until they are completely smooth. Add the tempered batter back to the hot milk in the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir and cook the mixture until it has thickened, for about 1 minute. Stir the butter into the mixture and allow it to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on medium high speed until they become foamy, and then add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue beating the egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff glossy peaks.

Gently stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the vanilla mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining whipped egg whites. The vanilla mixture should be evenly colored and light and bubbly, without egg white streaks or marbling.

Spoon the soufflé mixture into the prepared dish and allow it to rest, covered, for up to 30 minutes or bake right away for 25 to 30 minutes (slightly longer at high altitudes) until the soufflé has risen with a crusty exterior. Serve the soufflé with a dusting powdered sugar and a few plump berries, if desired.

This vanilla soufflé recipe makes 6 servings.

This one started deflating as soon as it came out of the oven.

Chicken, Potatoes, and Veggies

My sister cooked a good dinner tonight. She roasted 2 whole chickens. She also roasted potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. It was good especially since I didn't have to cook. I am not sure of spices she used other than garlic, salt, and pepper.

The night before I made some grilled chicken tacos, and the night before that I bought a Little Ceasers $5.00 pizza. Jake and Dakota are cooking tomorrow night, can't wait!!

Chicken Burgers and Oven Fries

I decided I would make chicken burgers. Here's what I did... I took skinless boneless chicken thighs, chopped them into small pieces, then in small batches I put them in my blender (I don't have a food processor) along with a small amount of olive oil, then pulsed it until it was broken up, then turned it on the icy drink button and blended until it was smooth. Then in a bowl I added egg, bread crumbs, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix that together, make them into patties, place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. A few minutes before I took them out I put sliced colby  cheese on them to melt it. I served them with sauteed onions and mushrooms.

I also made oven fries/wedges. I cut the potatoes into wedges, then coated them with olive oil, and seasonings, salt, pepper, paprika. Placed them on a cookie sheet and cooked them in the 425 degree oven for about 35 to 45 minutes.

Grilled Chicken

Since Henry had to go back on the road and I didn't want to be here being sad about that I thought dinner with Elena and the brats. I looked in the freezer to see what I had. I found a big package of leg quarters I had picked up because it was cheap ($5.20 for a pkg of 6). I asked Elena if she wanted to bbq. She said yes.

I took the chicken out then marinated it in some garlic and herb marinade. I also decided I wanted to make either a potato or pasta salad. I chose the pasta because I wouldn't have to peel all those potatoes. I ran to the store to pick up stuff for the salad, pasta was only $.75. I can home and made it. I boiled the full pound of pasta, and 3 eggs(with the eggs I bring them to a full boil, remove from heat, and cover for 13 minutes, it makes perfectly boiled eggs). Meanwhile I cut up, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small jar of pickles, 1 can of olives. When the pasta was done I mixed the chopped eggs, olives, and pickles along with some mayo (reduced fat made with olive oil), dijon mustard, salt and pepper. I pulled some of that out of the bowl to be nice to my sister's hubby who doesn't like onion or peppers. Then I added in the onion and peppers. I had Jake taste it and he said I did a good job.

At my sister's house Jake started the grill (her hubby won't because he set himself on fire before). Then Jake put the chicken on the grill when it was ready. It was a pretty good dinner. My sister made some corn on the cob (I don't like corn) and baked potatoes. I didn't get a pic.

Beef Gyros

I need something I could make without having to stand over the stove with the heat. I put a roast in the slow cooker and set it on low all day. An hour before dinner time I added onions, red and green peppers to the slow cooker. I served with a sauce made of 1 cup plain yogurt, 1/3 cup chopped seeded cucumber, 1 clove of garlic minced, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 tbs diced onion. I also had out lettuce, tomato, and green olives.

It was definitely fast and easy!!

Chicken Sandwiches

Tonight there was chicken left over so I said I would cook again...I know 2 nights in a row. I am really on this quick and easy thing, so what easier that chicken sandwiches...I know ham. Anyway...

I took the skinless boneless chicken thighs seasoned them with garlic pepper, salt, paprika, and breaded them. I dipped them in eggs, then bread crumbs (some of the chicken I breaded with bread crumbs seasoned with chili powder and crushed chili flakes. I then placed them on a sprayed cookie sheet and baked at you guessed 425 degrees for 15 minutes. I served them with baby spinach (for lettuce), red onion, tomatoes, and lemon cucumbers, oh and some store bought coleslaw too.

FYI, I did not eat this whole sandwich!