Shrimp Scampi with Thin Spaghetti

 I know I haven't blogged in a while, but things have been pretty crazy! 2 weeks ago our house flooded and we had to throw away a lot of our personal things. It was hard for both of us. We haven't been cooking a lot, and when we do, it has been something out of box or container. Last night Jake tried a new marinade. It didn't go over to well, we couldn't eat the steak because it was too spicy. The funny thing was, Zach came over and ate the steak. He is 8 and autistic, he always says everything is to spicy for him, but he ate this. Crazy kid!

 Tonight I thought I would do an easy fast shrimp and pasta dish. The only problem was, I didn't buy the shrimp peeled and deveined. It took forever to clean those stupid shrimp. I have learned an important lesson though...always leave the shrimp dishes for Jake...lol


 After peeling and deveining the shrimp, I minced 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 red pepper, zested 1 lemon, chopped 3 green onions,  and chopped a handful of parsley.

 After dropping the pasta into a salted boiling pot of water, heat a deep skillet with 2 tbs olive oil. When the oil is hot add the shrimp, cook until they are pink, remove them to a plate for later. Add the chopped garlic, red pepper, onion, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to the oil. Cook it for about 1 minute. Next add in the juice from the lemon you zested, and 1/2 cup dry white wine. Turn the heat to high, let that reduce for about 2 to 3 minutes. Next, whisk in 5 tbs butter (I used margarine), and 1 ladle full of the pasta water. Add the shrimp back in and remove from heat, add in the zest from the lemon and the chopped parsley. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce, toss, and serve. I served it with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Burgers with Creamed Spinach and Sriracha Mayo

  I know I haven't posted here in a while, it's not like we haven't been cooking, but because I have been lazy I guess. We have made some really good dinners, and I have taken pictures of everything, it just never made it here.

  Tonight I wanted to keep dinner easy and fast, and I had laid out some hamburger yesterday, but we ended up going out to dinner. I decided to make burgers, but we can't have "normal" homemade burgers. I decided to make creamed spinach to top off the burger. The following is how I put it all together.

  For the spinach, I took 1 large bag of spinach, and roughly chopped it. I also chopped 1/2 of a large yellow onion, and 4 cloves of garlic. I took a deep skillet, and melted 1/4 tbls of butter, added the onion, and garlic. I cooked that until they were tender. Next, I added the spinach, cook that until it is bright green, then I added 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Next add 1/2 cup heavy cream, cook until thick. I then added blue cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

  For the hamburger patty, I took the hamburger, placed it in a bowl, added salt, and pepper, mix it up, then shape into patties, place on a cookie sheet (with sides), place in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, depending on how done you like the meat.

  For the sriracha mayo, I took mayo, and added a few tsp of sriracha, and mixed it up. For the bun, I placed then in the toaster to brown.

  Jake added some cheddar cheese to the top of his burger. If you make your patties to big, then you may need a knife and fork to eat it, like I did. I served it with chips, that was it!

 

Moroccan Chicken, Couscous, and Brussel Sprouts

 Tonight was Jake's night to cook. He pulled out the Rachael Ray cookbook, and decided on Moroccan chicken.

 What you will need: It called for 12 to 16 pieces of chicken (he used 3 leg quarters), salt and pepper, 3 tbs olive oil, 4 tbs butter, 2 large onions cut into wedges (he used 1 medium), 3 meyer lemons cut into thick slices, handful of bay leaves, a couple of handfuls of green olives, 1 tbs coriander, 1 tbs cumin, 1 tbs ginger, 2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, pinch of saffron, pinch of cardamom, 1/4 cup flour, and 4 cups chicken broth. Directions, season the chicken with the salt and pepper to taste. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil, and sear the chicken on all sides, do this in batches so the pan isn't over crowded, move the seared chicken to a plate. After all chicken is seared and on the plate, add the butter to the pan, when the butter foams, add the onions, lemons, bay leaves, and olives; stir and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric, smoked paprika, cinnamon, saffron, and cardamom. Stir that until it's very fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to cook out the flour. Whisk in the stock, slide the chicken back in, simmer until the chicken is cooked. I had Jake add in some brussel sprouts when he started simmering it.

 For the couscous he just followed the directions on the box, except for adding some fresh chopped garlic. He served it with a slice of sourdough bread for sopping up the juice. It was pretty good.

Chicken Cacciatore with Red Wine

   We haven't done much cooking lately because Jake and I have been sick. Tonight was Jake's night to cook. He decided to use some of the chicken legs that we bought today from Grocery Outlet. There were 14 legs for $3.17. The red wine was on sale to, it was $1.99 a bottle. For some reason Jake likes cooking with wine, especially red. I am going to be lazy and copy and paste the recipe he used. He did change it buy added 1 large cubed carrot, and 1 tsp. dried thyme.

Salt

Pepper

4

boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4

cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

3

tablespoons olive oil

2

tablespoons butter

1

medium onion, chopped

1

medium red bell pepper, seeded, chopped

3

cloves garlic, finely chopped

1

cup red wine (Chianti, Cabernet or Merlot)

1

can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1

cup Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

1

teaspoon dried oregano leaves

2

tablespoons julienne fresh basil leaves

Directions

• 1Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken breasts; coat chicken with flour. In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from Dutch oven; place on plate. Set aside.
• 2In same Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add red wine; cook until reduced in half.
• 3Stir in tomatoes, broth and oregano. Place chicken over tomatoes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer about 20 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (165°F).
• 4Serve chicken over mashed potatoes or spaghetti, spooning sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with basil.

He severed it over rice. I asked him where was my veggies, he replied by saying I added carrots to it. I had a small dark green salad with this. 

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

  It's been along time since I have made lasagna. For one it's a pain to make and two Jake's diet never allowed for it. Things have changed with the diet a bit, so I thought I would give it a try. I thought I would change it up a bit, but didn't think it would take over 2 hours to make. I found a recipe for one with white sauce and I liked that idea, but made some changes, like I always do. I had to make changes, because who would make a lasagna without garlic and proper seasonings?  I didn't however read through it all the way, seeing that the cook time was suppose to be an hour. Oh well, so dinner was later than usual.

  Prep took a while, I took 2 bags of fresh spinach, took the stems off and cut into smaller pieces. I then chopped 1 small yellow onion, 4 cloves of garlic, and chopped 8 mini sweet peppers. I forgot I cut 6 skinless, boneless, chicken breast strips into cubes.

  To cook: First start a long deep pot filled with water to boil. I heated 1 tbs. olive oil in a deep skillet, when the oil was hot I added the chicken, cook until done, then remove to a plate, then add 1 tbs olive oil, the onion, the sweet peppers, and 2 teaspoons of salt, cook until the onion is translucent. Then, by handfuls add the spinach, one handful at a time, until all the spinach is wilted, I added the garlic at this time. When all the spinach is cooked, remove to a bowl lined with paper towels. Press out the extra water. Next, add 4 tbs butter to the deep skillet, add 1/4 cup flour, whisk until the flour and butter are well combined and brown, then add 1 quart of milk, continuously whisking until the milk comes to a boil and the mixture thickens, I then added 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg, 1 tsp. dried thyme, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes. Remove from heat and add 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Don't forget to cook your lasagna noodles (like I did). Take a deep baking dish, place a layer of the sauce, then a layer of the white sauce, a layer of the spinach mixture, a layer of the chicken, and finally a layer of shredded mozarella cheese. Keep repeating the layers until you use everything. Top with leftover sauce, spinach, chicken, mozarella, and romano cheese. Cover it with foil, place in a 450 degree oven (the recipe said the place in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for 15 minutes, remove from oven and set for 20 minutes) for 15 minutes, remove the foil cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Swaii, Couscous, Veggies, and Corn Muffins

  Tonight was my night for dinner. I decided to cook some fish, couscous, and make sweet corn muffins.

  For the corn muffins, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup yellow corn meal, 1 Tbs baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl combine 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 1/4 cups milk (I used lactose free), 1/3 cup oil (I used olive oil), and 3 Tbs. melted butter. Mix the wet ingredients together, then add into the dry ingredients. Mix well, pour into muffin tins, either lined with papers or greased tins. Place in 350 degree oven.  Let cook 15 to 18 minutes until, knife inserted comes out clean.

  For the couscous, 1 chopped 3 green onions and 3 cloves of garlic. Add that to 1 3/4 cups of chicken stock, 1 Tbs. of thai seasoning (we got a bottle of thai seasoning at the World Market) and seasoning from the couscous package. Let that come to a boil, add the couscous, remove from heat, cover, and let set for 7 minutes.

  For the fish, I took 2 swaii filet, and breaded them in a mixture of yellow corn meal, flour, pepper, and cayenne pepper. I heated a deep skillet over medium high heat, with 3 Tbs. olive oil. I placed the fish in the hot oil, and cooked it until the fish was crisp on both sides, and the fish was cooked through.

  The veggies were just frozen broccoli and cauliflower. I steamed them.

Hot Wings and Fries

  Jake's turn to cook tonight. He really wanted hot wings. We went to the store and bought a bottle of Frank's Hot Wing Buffalo sauce, our favorite for wings.

 For the wings, he took a few boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins, and cut them into pieces. Then, he took 2 eggs and a little milk and mixed them together, in a separate bowl he mixed flour, salt, and pepper together. He dredged the chicken in the egg mixture, then the flour, then back into the eggs again, and lastly back into the flour. He fried them in a deep fryer. When they were cooked he tossed them in the Frank's Red  sauce, with melted butter added to it.

  He also made some homemade french fries. He sliced them thin, fried them in the deep fryer, drained them on a plate covered in paper towels. After they cooled he put them back in the deep fryer until they were crisp. Such an easy dinner!

French Bread Pizza

  I thought I would make pizza tonight, but didn't want to make the dough, so I bought a loaf of french bread. The sauce did take hours to simmer.

  For the sauce, I took 1, 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 2 small cans of tomato sauce, 1 can tomato paste, 1/2 small red onion, 4 cloves of garlic chopped, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, and greek seasoning. I placed it all in the pot and let it simmer for 4 hours. The last hour I added salt and pepper. All seasoning are to taste.

  To assembly the pizzas, I sliced the french bread in 1/2 and placed them on a cookie sheet, turn the oven to 450 to heat up. Then, we spooned on the sauce, cheese, salami, fresh spinach, diced red onion, and finally more cheese.

  Cook until the cheese is all melted and bubbly. I sliced the bread into slices, and that is it!

               Oh, I did top it with more fresh spinach, red onions, and red pepper flakes,
                                                              after it came out of the oven.

Loaded Potato Soup, and Dinner Rolls

 Tonight was part me and part Jake. I made the soup and Jake made the rolls. I decided to make soup since it was cooler today and it wasn't that hard.

 For the bread, Jake, mixed 2 cups of flour, 1/4 cups sugar, 1/4 cup softened butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 package quick acting yeast in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 cup warm milk (we used lactose free milk) and 1 large egg. The recipe said to beat with a blender, but Jake likes doing it all by hand, he thinks that's where the love comes in. Add just enough flour until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl, it might take 1 to 1 1/2 cups. Next, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Next place in a lightly oiled ( olive oil) bowl, Jake does take 1 tbs of olive oil and mixes it through the dough, before placing it in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel, place it in a warm place, and let rise for 1 hour. He then greases muffin tins, after it has risen, he places a small size ball in each tin, he then lets it sit for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, he melts 1/4 cup butter, adds 1 tbs honey, 2 cloves grated garlic, 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, and 1 tbs Herbs of Provence. He brushes this on before placing the rolls in the oven. Place in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. These were amazing!

For the soup, I took 3 lbs. of potatoes, poked holes in them, placed them in the microwave for 10 minutes (baked potatoes are normally used, but wanted them done fast). Meanwhile, I placed 1 kielbasa in a skillet, I seared both sides, then steamed it. After letting the potatoes and  sausage cooled, I chopped the sausage into bite size pieces, for the potatoes, I cut them in 1/2, and scooped all the insides into a bowl, then broke them up. I chopped 3 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 a yellow onion. Next, take a large pot, and heat it on medium high heat, add 4 tbs of butter, then the onion, when the onion gets tender add the garlic, and 4 tbs of flour, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder, whisking the whole time. . Let the flour cook for about a minute. Next add 6 cups of chicken stock, continuously whisking. Next stir in 1 cup sour cream, and 4 oz cream cheese. When that is all mixed in, add the potatoes, and stir. Next, put the sausage in, and add 8oz of sharp cheddar cheese, at the end I added 1 tsp of red chili flakes (optional). I served it with sour cream, more cheese, sriracha, and normally chives, but didn't have any.

Chicken Ravioli

 Tonight was Jake's night to cook, and he took a very fast easy way out. I guess I shouldn't say that, because he did make the sauce.

  The hard part, he took the frozen grilled chicken and cheese ravioli out of the freezer...lol He then started a pot of water boiling.

  For the sauce, he took 2 tbs olive oil, and heated it in a deep skillet. Next he added 1 chopped stalk of celery, and 4 sliced mini carrots. He cooked those until tender, he then added 4 cloves chopped garlic, next he added 1/2 cup of dry white wine (he loves cooking with wine). He let that cook off for 2 minutes, then added 1 cup of chicken broth, a can of crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. He let it simmer for 10 minutes. When the ravioli was done cooking, he added it to the sauce. He served it with a pinch of Parmesan cheese. That is it!

 I had a nice salad with my ravioli, Jake did not.

Chimichanga Balls and Jake's Rice

  My nephew Zach, who is 8 and autistic, has been bugging me for the last few months to make chimichanga balls. I don't know where he came up with this idea, but he hasn't given up on it. I was over there earlier today, and he asked me to text Jake, and tell him to make him these. I told him I would go home and try. Of course I have looked all over the internet to find a recipe, and have came up empty. I had to get creative.

  First, I went to the store and bought a small pork roast ($5.00). I came home, salt and peppered it, placed it in a deep pot, seared it all sides in olive oil, next I added chicken stock and water. I let it boil until it was easy to shred.

  Next, I made homemade tortilla dough, 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, mix that together, then added 3 tbs olive oil, and 3/4 cups water. Mix that all together, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead 10 to 12 times until the dough is smooth. Let rest for 10 minutes. I tripled this recipe, I was feeding 6 people.

  I then placed shredded cheese in a bowl. I took a small ball of the tortilla dough and flattened it, into a small circle, place a small amount of cheese in the middle, followed by a small amount of shredded pork, next, close it up by folding all the sides into the middle, then shape it into a ball. I then placed 3 at a time into my little deep fryer (this took a while to cook all that I needed). I cooked until the were golden brown. I placed them on a plate lined with paper towels. Then I put them on a cookie sheet in the oven on 200 degrees, just to keep them warm while I cooked the rest.

  For the rice, Jake, took a box of chicken flavored rice a roni, and made it much better. To the rice he added 1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes, saffron, ancho chili powder, 3 cloves chopped garlic, 1/2 cinnamon stick, oregano, and smoked paprika. It had just the right amount of spice.

  The best part was to get a thumbs up and you did good aunt Shannon, from Zach. It must not have been to bad because there wasn't much left.

Breakfast

 I couldn't sleep in late, and was kind of jealous that Jake was. So I thought I would make breakfast.  I thought the smell of bacon cooking would get him up.

 I took the bacon put it on a cookie sheet and placed it in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or desired crispiness. When it's done I place them on a plate covered in paper towels , this helps pull out unwanted grease.

 For the pancakes (this recipe is for a small amount of pancakes or tiny ones, so you may need to double or triple it), I start by beating 1 large egg until it doubles in size or gets foamy. Next I add 1 cup of flour (I used whole wheat flour this morning, but don't think I will again), 3 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 tbs. canola oil, 1/2 cup lactose free milk, and  1/4 cup of Girl Scout coconut caramel creamer (or any that you have on hand, or you can just add all milk, or buttermilk). Mix just until all ingredients are combined, lumps are ok. I don't have a griddle, so I just drop some butter in a skillet and cook them that way.

Salmon and Salad

 Tonight was my night to cook. I thought I would do fish, it's been a while and Jake loves fish. Guess what, Jake let me know at 4 he wouldn't be home for dinner. Oh well, it made it easier.

 This was an easy salmon to do. First in a bowl, mix 1 can of dieced tomatoes, 2 tbs lemon juice, 2 tbs dried thyme, and 2 tbs dried oregano, mix it all together, and set aside. Next, criss cross 2 sheets of foil, drizzle a little olive oil in the middle of the foil, take a piece of fish, and lay it on the olive oil (do this with each piece of fish), then sprinkle with salt and pepper, next, spoon a couple of tbs. of the tomato mixture, then I sprinkled 1 small chopped clove of garlic and 1 small, chopped, yellow, mini, sweet, pepper. Close the foil up around the fish, to make a packet. Place, the fish packets on a cookie sheet, put it in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

 For the salad, I took some herbed salad mix, 2 small radishes, 1 small mini pepper, 1 small                                            mushroom, 2 mini shredded carrots. Simple easy, healthy dinner!

Pork Tacos

  Tonight was Jake's turn to cook. He decided to make tacos.

 He marinated the pork in garlic, red onions, salt, pepper, and tequila.  He took a half of a  red onion and sauteed it in olive oil, then a he browned the pork , he then added garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup of chicken broth, and 1 jalapeno. He let that simmer until it reduced by 1/2. He then did something that scares me to death (maybe not that scary), he poured tequila into the pan, then set it on fire. Thank goodness he didn't set the house on fire. That was it.

 He did something a little different, he took soft taco shells, heated them, spread spinach dip on them, then placed a few leaves of spinach, taco shredded cheese, the pork with onions, and peppers, then lastly he topped them with some pico de gallo. I asked why the spinach dip, he said, "Look at it this way, it's just a flavored sour cream." I couldn't argue with that. Simple and good!

Chicken Burgers

 I was asked by Jake last night not to post his dinner, so I didn't. He made some tenderized pork steaks (like cubed steak), baked potatoes, and stemed veggies for me.

 Tonight was my turn. We love this Sheppard's Pie knife and fork burgers that Rachael Ray makes. Tonight I thought I would put a spin on them, and make then a little bit healthier.

 For prep, I diced a 1/2 of yellow onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 sweet mini peppers, and grated 3 mini carrots. I also peeled 4 small potatoes, for mashed potatoes. I also cubed up 6 chicken breast, tender strips.

 In the blender I added the chicken and olive oil. I pulsed it until the chicken was minced, then I added the, onion, garlic, sweet peppers, carrots, fresh rosemary, dried thyme, salt, and red chili flakes. I pulsed it until it was well mixed. This would be so much easier in a food processor.

 I started my potatoes boiling. Then I added bread crumbs into the chicken mixture, made patties. In a deep skillet with 2 tbs. olive oil I seared/fried the chicken patties.

 I had heated the oven to 450 degrees. On a cookie sheet I split a bolio roll in 1/2, then I placed the rolls on it, spread some butter on top of that, placed in the oven and cooked until they were done.

 When the potatoes were soft, I placed them in a bowl, added margarine, and a small amount of non dairy sour cream. I mixed it well together until smooth.

 Next, take the cooked rolls, place a chicken patty on top of that, then top with mashed potatoes, and some cheese. Place it back in the oven until the cheese is nice and melty.

 Meanwhile, I heated 2 tbs margarine in a small sauce pan, added 2 tbs whole wheat flour, let that cook for about a minute, next added 3/4 can of chicken stock, whisk so there are no lumps. Then, add 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbs, spicy brown mustard, and 1 tbs horseradish. Mix until well blended. Pour on top of finished burgers.

 I topped mine with some fresh spinach, and a twig of fresh rosemary. Neither Jake nor I could finish                                                               one, his was much bigger.

 

Tequila Lime Chicken

 Tonight was my night to cook, my sister left a bottle of tequila, so I don't want to waste it, but I don't drink very often. The best way to use it, is to cook with it.

 I am just going to copy and paste the recipe I used and tell you what I added, and the different way I cooked it. Other then the chicken I made a box of scalloped potatoes, not my favorite but I didn't want to take the time to make them. I didn't make veggies tonight, because somehow I forgot to buy any, and I am out in the freezer.

 I added 1 small red onion sliced, grated lime and lemon peel into the marinade. I then cooked the chicken in a cast iron skillet, that has the grill thing on the bottom. I seared it well. While it seared, I put the leftover marinade into a small pot, and cooked it over low heat. After the chicken was seared, I poured the marinade over the seared chicken, then placed it into a 425 degree oven. It cooked for 25 minutes. I severed it with lemon and lime wedges. I had a picture of it, but for some reason I pushed delete....Chiari moment

 INGREDIENTS

• 4 split boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 T fresh minced garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup gold tequila
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 t ancho chili powder
• 1 T olive oil
• INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the chicken with everything and marinade for a half hour at room temperature. The acids in the lime cook the chicken so you want to avoid over-marinading.
2. Heat a grill with coals and brush the grill top with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking.
3. Grill the chicken over direct heat for 5-6 minutes (for a 1 inch thick breast. Turn the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes- again it will depend on the thickness of the chicken. Cook until nicely browned–it should feel firm and the juices should run clear.
4. The sugars in the tequila and lime juice will blacken the chicken- so move them to a lower heat if that gets out of control.
5. Serve hot off the grill with lime wedges.

Tatchos

 I was watching Rachael Ray today, they were making different types of normal foods, but substituted tater tots. I saw one that was nachos but with tater tots instead of chips, so I had to try it out.

 I fried the tater tots, (you can bake them, but I love them crisp). I topped it with nacho cheese sauce, a shredded taco cheese blend, left over shredded chicken, green onions, jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, and hot sauce. You could add anything you love on nachos on top of this. Jake had rice cheese, but he did add some of the nacho cheese sauce.

  This was a really good comfort food. Warning it is highly unhealthy, but very delicious!

                                                            I did not eat all of this.

Salmon, Pasta, and Zucchini

 I realize it's been a very long time since I have posted, but we have been busy, so not cooking regular dinners lately. This last week we started taking turns again, except Tuesdays and Thursdays, those are the days he attends Butte Community College. Tonight was Jake's night to cook.

 He started with the salmon. He took a 12oz salmon, placed it on foil, in a deep pan, then sprinkled on chinese 5 spice, ancho chili powder, and red pepper flakes, then added about 1/4 cup white wine, red, yellow, orange mini sweet peppers, along with carrots, green onions, and zucchini spears, he then folded the foil into a packet, placed it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

 Meanwhile he boiled water for the pasta. In a separate deep pan, he added olive oil, green onions, garlic, and 1/2 bag of frozen stir fry veggies. After that was tender he added, some Worcestershire sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha. After the whole wheat spaghetti was done he added it to the veggie pan. It was his version of chow mein. He did an excellent job.

 Since starting this blog and cooking with Jake, he has went from eating no veggies, to eating, several of them. Proving cooking with your kids does get them to eat different things!

Eggplant Parmesan and Salad

  I decided I would clean out the fridge of  leftovers tonight. I took the leftover veggies Jake cooked last night, that was on top of the fish, the small hamburger patty he cooked 2 days ago, the red sauce I put in the freezer last month, and the salad from last night. I also decided since it was just me tonight, I would make something I love eggplant. Eggplant Parmesan it was, but I wanted it to be healthier since I am doing the whole weight loss thing. Here's what I did. I avoided turning the oven on, because it's over 85 degrees inside the house and didn't want it to get any hotter.

  I dethawed the red sauce, which is canned crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, onions, sweet mini peppers, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

 Next, I took the eggplant, sliced it into 1/2 inch thick pieces, laid it on parchment paper, sprinkled it with salt, on both sides, and let it sit for 5 minutes. This draws out the excess water. Next, I heated a deep skillet with 2 tbls olive oil, then placed the eggplant in the skillet to sear it on both sides. Normally, you would coat the eggplant in egg, then bread crumbs, but I didn't want to add the extra calories. I seared them in batches so not to over crowd the pan, then placed them on a plate with a paper towel when done, this way the paper towel can soak up any oil and extra moisture. After all eggplant was cooked, I put the veggies and leftover hamburger in the pan to heat it up, I did add some of the new dark greens to it too. Next, I added the red sauce, and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

                                          To assemble, I placed 1 eggplant circle on my plate.

                                                Next, I placed some sauce on top of it.

                                           Then, I put another piece of eggplant on top of that.

                                          Lastly, more sauce, some parm, and fresh chives.

This plate of food is only 220 calories.

Alaskan Pollock with Veggies, Couscous, and Salad

  Tonight was Jake's night to cook and he chose fish, so he could add the new greens we bought, they have a lemon taste to them. For the life of me I can't remember the name of them.

  First he started by chopping all the veg and spices. He used 1 small zucchini, 6 mini carrots, mini sweet peppers, chives, onion, and the greens.

 He then started the water for the couscous, adding some peppers and onion. When the water boils you remove it from heat, add the couscous, and then cover it for 7 minutes. I have found a real love for the stuff. You get a whole cup of it and it's not too bad on the calorie thing.

 For the fish he placed the fish in a foil lined pan, put all the veggies and greens on top of it. He also added salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. He covered it with more foil, then placed it in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

 I threw the salad together.

This whole plate of food is 360 calories. The problem I had was there was no way I could eat all of this. I will try my hardest before the night is over. 

Spicy Sesame-Soba and Sliced Steak

  Tonight was my night and I chose one of our favorites. Again it is another of Rachael Ray's recipes. I dd change something on this one. It calls for sesame oil and sesame seeds, I used olive oil and left out the seeds. I cooked everything in olive oil.  Another thing is we used the whole wheat pasta and not the soba noodles, we can't find them around here.
   Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds petite filet or flat-iron steaks
• 12 ounces soba or whole wheat spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons high temperature/stir fry oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• 1 1-inch piece of grated ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bunch scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons Harissa or chili paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Tamari (dark soy sauce)
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame or black sesame seeds
• 1 cup shiso leaves or 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped 

 Place the steak in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up for thin slicing.

Boil a large pot of water to cook the soba or pasta; cook at a rolling boil to package directions to al dente.

Very thinly slice the meat against the grain with a sharp knife.

In a large round-bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the stir fry oil over high heat. Add the meat, season with chili powder and brown for 2-3 minutes; remove to plate. Cook in two batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add the remaining oil and stir fry the ginger, garlic, scallions, daikon and stir fry to tender-crisp, 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the pan and stir in the chili paste, Worcestershire, Tamari and stock. Add the beef back and season with sesame oil.

Drain the soba or spaghetti and add to pan. Toss the noodles with beef and sesame seeds and serve. I topped with the chopped cilantro

Sheperd's Pie Knife and Fork Burger

 Jake has been wanting this for a long while, so he decided to fix it tonight for dinner. This is actually one of Rachael Ray' recipes we never change. I am going to copy and paste the recipe so I don't have to type all of it out. I am feeling a bit lazy and sore tonight.
Ingredients
    2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling

1/4 pound button mushrooms, 5 to 6, stemmed and very finely chopped

1 carrot, very finely chopped

1 rib celery, very finely chopped

1 shallot, very finely chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

Salt and pepper

2 large or 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 pounds coarse beef chuck

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided

1/4 to 1/3 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons horseradish

1 egg yolk, beaten

4 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

2 tablespoons flour

1 can beef consomme/stock

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Chopped flat-leaf parsley, garnish

4 slices white bread, toasted and lightly buttered

- 

In a skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil. Add vegetables and garlic, and season with salt and pepper, cook to tender then cool completely. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Combine ground beef with 3 tablespoons Worcestershire, salt, pepper and cooled vegetables. Form 4 patties and drizzle them with oil. Heat griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook burgers 10 minutes, turning once for medium doneness. Switch broiler on high. Drain potatoes and mash with milk, sour cream, horseradish, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons butter, chives, salt and pepper. Top the burgers with mounds of potatoes and set under broiler to brown, in middle of oven, 3-4 minutes. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour then consomme; let thicken and season with remaining tablespoon Worcestershire, black pepper and Dijon. Set burgers topped with potatoes on buttered toast and pour gravy over top, garnish with parsley and serve.

 So maybe I lied, we did change one thing. When it says to add in 1 egg yolk, then place the potatoes on top of the burger, then place in the broiler, that's the part we changes. It was 85 degrees in the house, therefore we did not add the egg nor place in the broiler. We just made the potatoes without the egg yolk, then just put the potatoes on top of the burger, then the gravy.

Seared Chicken, Couscous, and Spinach Salad

 Tonight I wanted something fast and easy, of course I always want that. I was going to make chicken breast strips, by I guess I forgot to buy them, I improvised.

 For the chicken, I took 1 skinless boneless chicken breast, and cut it into strips, this way it cooks faster. I marinated it in Lawyers original sauce. I then heated a skillet with 2 tbls. olive oil and seared it for about 5 minutes. For Jake's chicken I took a package of Kraft chipotle cheese and bread crumbs, coated the chicken and seared it.

 Meanwhile, I cut up 2 green onions, 1 each mini red, yellow, and orange sweet pepper, and 3 cloves of garlic, I placed that into a 6 quart pot, with 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tbs butter/margarine, and the flavor packet that came in the box of couscous. I let it come to a boil, then removed it from the heat, stirred in the couscous, and covered it. That's it!

 I placed some fresh spinach on my plate, sliced 1/2 a mushroom, grated 1 mini carrot, and sliced 1 red pepper. I dressed it with 1 tbls. Kraft Greek Vinaigrette.

 The whole thing took about 15 minutes.

I forgot to add, that this plate only has 360 calories. That's 1 cup of the couscous, a small salad, and about 4 oz chicken.

Salmon, Couscous, and Zucchini

 Tonight was Jake's night to cook, but I kind of told him what to cook. We bought these salmon fillets at Grocery Outlet for $2.99 and the couscous for $.79, then I sliced and cooked the zucchini.

 For the fish he marinated it a Lawyers white wine and herb sauce. Meanwhile he started the couscous. He chopped up some green onions, red and orange sweet peppers, and garlic. He let that simmer with the flavor packet it came with (sun dried tomatoes). Then he followed the directions on the box.

  He heated up our George Foreman grill, then placed the salmon on it for 3 minutes. It was a really good dinner.

This blog will be coming to an end in about a month. Jake will be moving so that will just leave me. I am sure I won't be cooking as much and there will be probably won't be too many times cooking with Jake any more. That makes this mom so sad. I love our times in the kitchen.

Burgers and Oven Roasted Potatoes

 I planned tonight's dinner around the fact my nephews are suppose to be having a sleepover here so their parents can have a night alone. They have yet to appear so far, so Jake and I were getting hungry, so I decided to cook.

 I went with red potatoes because that's what I had. I cut them, washed them, then dried them. In a bowl I mixed olive oil, oregano, basil, thyme, and a little bit of salt, then tossed the potatoes in it. I placed them on a baking sheet and placed them in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until done.

  For the burger I mixed the burger meat with 4 minced cloves of garlic, 2 minced green onions, ancho chili powder, dried thyme, and some salt. I made the patties and placed them on a baking sheet, then put them in the oven with the potatoes. A few minutes before they were done i put a slice of Kraft cheddar cheese slices (which was made with skim milk). I toasted the hamburger buns in the toaster. We topped them differently, I used some light mayo that was seasoned with garlic and herbs, pickles, and spinach. Jake had the mayo with bbq and spinach.

 So this isn't very healthy, but it hit the spot. To break it down, it goes something like this, the burger patty has about 200 calories, the bun 110 calories, cheese 25 calories, and the potato right around 100. It comes in around 450 calories. After having yogurt for breakfast and cottage cheese for lunch I don't find it too much.

"Grilled" Chicken Pita

  I am home alone tonight. I saw this recipe on Paula Deen's fb page, and thought I'd give it a try. This recipe has a a lot of big flavors.
 Here is what you will need:

3   boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1   clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
2   small tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (1/4 pound)
1/4 cup olive oil
Olive oil cooking spray
1   large Vidalia or purple onion, cut into thin rings
6   pita breads
1/2   head romaine lettuce, finely chopped
1   (10.6-ounce) jar kalamata olives, drained, halved, and pitted, or other black ol
12   slices bacon, fried crisp
Alfalfa sprouts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  

Directions

Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry. Combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the oregano in a glass dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the chicken breast to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Combine the tomatoes and feta cheese in a small glass dish. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, the olive oil, and the remaining 1-teaspoon oregano, and stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the yogurt sauce: 
8 ounces (1 cup) unflavored yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1-tablespoon olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, walnuts, and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat a grill to medium heat.

Spray a grill basket with olive oil. Grill the chicken breasts over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until no longer pink in the thickest portion of each breast. Spread the onion rings over the surface of the basket and grill while the chicken is cooking. Turn the basket frequently. The onion rings will blacken as they cook; this will also take 8 to 10 minutes. When the chicken and onion rings are cooked, place the pita breads on the grill for about 2 minutes per side, until grill marks show. Slice the chicken into very thin pieces.

At serving time, put out all of the ingredients and allow each person to assemble sandwiches: Split each pita. Place several slices of grilled chicken, 3 or 4 slivers of onion, a tablespoon of tomato-feta mixture, lettuce, olives, and 1 or 2 slices of bacon into each pita. Top with yogurt sauce and a wad of alfalfa sprouts. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Fold up the sides of the pita and enjoy!

The only thin I changed on this recipe was how I cooked the chicken. I also forgot the alfalfa sprouts, and the olives. I didn't add the salt and pepper either, but I don't think it needed it. I would definitely make this again.