Steak, Pasta, and Quinoa Salad

Tonight Jake and I actually cooked together. I made the steak and he made the pasta.

 For the steak (I got it on sale 4 steaks for $5.00) I laid them out of paper towels and patted them dry. Next I sprinkled on some A-1 rub, then drizzled them with canola oil. I placed them on a very hot cast iron grill pan. I seared them on all sides then finished them off in a 350 degree oven.

 For the pasta Jake cut up carrots, celery, onion, 5 cloves of garlic, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 orange bell pepper, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, and 6 button mushrooms. He started the pasta water, then heated 2 Tbls. oil and 2 Tbls butter in a large deep skillet. Next he added the chopped veggies, cooked until they were tender, then added 1 Tbls. anchovy paste, he cooked that for about a minute, then deglazed the pan with about 1 cup of red wine, he let the wine cook off, then added 1 15 oz can tomato sauce, 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, fresh cilantro, and 3 threads of saffron. He let that reduce for about 5 minutes, then added 1 cup of heavy cream. After the pasta was cooked he added it to the sauce and tossed until well combined.

 The quinoa salad was left over from the potluck at work. See last nights blog post for recipe. Oh I also dabbed some horseradish on the steak.

Quinoa and Lentil Salad

I didn't make this for dinner, but to take to work tomorrow for a potluck.

First take 1 cup quinoa and 2 1/2 cups of water place in a large microwave safe bowl, cover and cook in the microwave for 9 minutes. Then let stand 2 minutes, fluff with a fork, let cool.

Next, you need 2 cups of lentils that have been rinsed off and drained, put it in a pan with 4 cups of water, let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together (I put it into the blender) 2 tsp dijon mustard, 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, whisk together until combined. Next, while blender is running, drizzle in 1/2 cup of olive or canola oil to make and emulsion. Add 2 grated cloves of garlic, the zest from 2 limes, salt, and pepper to taste.

When quinoa and lentils are cool, toss together to combine, add 1/2 of a chopped red onion, 2 chopped green onions, 1/2 chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped cilantro (as much as you like or sub with fresh chopped flat leaf parsley)

toss to combine. Next, pour the emulsion over the top and toss to combine.

Chicken Enchiladas and Pecan Brownies

I didn't post these Sunday night. I have been too busy and just forgot to do it. This is a pretty easy thing to make.

I boiled 2 chicken thighs, with some salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and cayenne. I cooked until it was falling off the bone. Next I cooked a box of rice a roni, chicken and mushroom. I browned the rice, then added the flavor packet, 1 diced jalapeno (with the seeds), 4 cloves of garlic, and instead of the water it called for I added 2 cups of the liquid from the chicken I cooked. Let the chicken and rice cool. Then I diced the chicken and added it to the rice and added 1/2 of a small can of green enchilada sauce. On the side I had chopped up onion, shredded pepper jack cheese, and olives. I like using flour tortillas, this time I had the soft taco ones. I opened a large can of the green sauce, poured it into a large bowl. I also poured a small amount of that sauce in the bottom of my casserole dish. Next, I dipped each tortilla into the sauce then put in the rice/chicken mixture, some onions, and then cheese, next roll them up. I topped them with some of the leftover sauce, onions, cheese, and olives. I placed them in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubble.

Later that night Jake decided to use some more of those pecans his aunt gave him. I can't remember if I mentioned this but Jake's food allergies is why we started all of this cooking. He has tested positive for all nuts, except pecans(they have to be right off the tree and not around other nuts), sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or oranges. Due to his EGID his doc suggested we cut out all soy, we did that for years, but we are now trialing it along with dairy because he didn't teat positive with those 2. But anyway back to the brownies. He used a recipe out of our Hershey book, Hershey's White Chocolate Chip Brownies. Without the chocolate chips and added pecans. Here is the recipe, 4 eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter/margarine, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 1/3 cups flour 2/3 cups cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans.

Beat the eggs until they are foamy in a large bowl, gradually add in the sugar. Add the butter and vanilla, beat until smooth. Next add in the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder, beating until well blended. Stir in the pecans/chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into a greased 13x9x2 pan, Bake at 350 25 to 30 minutes. 

Jake used a round cake pan, so his turned out looking like a cake.

We topped it with whip cream and caramel.

Sliders

Dinner tonight was using things in the house so I didn't have to go to the store. So I thought about burgers, the only problem I didn't have any buns, but I did have canned biscuits. I put the biscuits in the oven to cook. Meanwhile, I took the hamburger meat placed it in a bowl. added cayenne, salt, pepper, grated garlic, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. I cooked the sliders in a hot skillet, when they were just about done I placed some colby cheese on top, then covered it so the cheese would melt. On the biscuit I put some spicy brown mustard and some of the bagged lettuce I had. Dinner done. 

One Pot Wonder Chicken Lo Mein

I found this recipe on facebook so I thought I would see if it would work. Here is what it called for: I did everything it called for except the garlic powder, I don't have any and don't plan on buying any. I love cooking with fresh garlic so I added more of it. I also added celery, and instead of the red bell peppers I used the orange and yellow ones I already had.

Ingredients: 
• 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into small chunks
• 12oz whole wheat linguini or fettuccine, broken in half
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in thin 3 inch long strips
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in thin 3 inch long strips
• 1 bunch green onions, white part sliced and green part cut in 3 inch long strips
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 C chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 C water
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Add the chicken, then the pasta, then the remaining ingredients to a large stockpot and cover. Bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until most of the liquid is gone and the chicken is cooked through

Now for what I didn't like about it. I would cut the chicken in bigger bites so it didn't dry out. Then I would cook the pasta separately so it didn't stick together. Even with stirring it often it clumped together. I had to take out the clumpy pasta and use 2 forks to pull it apart. The spices were good but needed more red pepper flakes or maybe some cayenne. I will try this again with some changes. It wouldn't hurt to add more veggies like cabbage, broccli, or bean sprouts.

Chicken Ravioli

  Jake and I planned to spend the day and try to make ravioli. This was my bright idea. I told Jake I would make the filling if he made the dough. Of course, I would take the easy part. This can be done in short time but since we have never made this before we decided to try, and start early. We started this at about noon.

  I took 1 skinless chicken breast, seasoned it with salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. I then placed it a pan covered with foil. Then I placed it in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, the last 5 minutes I uncovered it to brown it. I then cooked a few pieces of bacon.

  Meanwhile Jake made the dough. 3 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, and 1/2 cup warm water. Mix the flour and salt together, place the flour mixture on a board (we used the kitchen table), make a well in the center of the table. Drop eggs into the well, using your hand or fork, break the yolks and beat slightly. Combine the eggs and flour together, gradually  adding enough warm water to make the dough stiff. Knead the dough, until smooth, cover the dough and let rest for at least 15 minutes. We did for longer, until my filling was done.

  For the filling I shredded the chicken (after it had cooled), then added 1- 8 oz container of onion and chive cream cheese, 2 cloves of garlic grated, 1/4 of an onion grated, the 2 slices of cooked bacon chopped, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

  Then, Jake rolled out the dough (he had cut it into 4 even sections), I placed a teaspoon of filling in on the dough, then he cut them into squares. We then folded them into a triangle and crimped them with a fork. We let them sit on a cookie sheet to dry. After an hour we flipped them to let the other side to dry.

  Jake wanted to make the sauce. He took 2 slices of bacon and cooked until done (not crisp), then added some butter to the deep skillet. Then he added 1/2 of a chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped stalk of celery, and 4 large gloves of garlic chopped. When the veggies were tender he deglazed the pan with about 1/2 cup red wine, then added 2 cans ( 15 oz) tomato sauce, 2 tbs tomato paste, and 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes. He then seasoned it with basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, saffron, salt, and pepper. He let that simmer to let the flavors marry (his words). Meanwhile we had a large pot of water boiling and a loaf of garlic bread in the oven. When he was ready he dropped the ravioli (about 6 at a time) in the boiling salted water. He let them cook about 7 minutes. We had them with some grated parm.

                                                         This is the cooked ravioli

Chicken and Waffles

I so wanted comfort food tonight and Jake has been bugging me to make this again.

 I use my simple waffle recipe 2 large eggs beaten well, add 2 cups of flour, 1 3/4 cup milk ( we use lactaid), 1/2 cup oil, 1 tbs sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Mix all of that together well, then cook in a waffle iron.

For my chicken tonight, I used boneless skinless chicken thighs.  I took  1 pint of butter milk, added 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne, salt, pepper, 2 tbs hot sauce, and paprika place the chicken in the milk mixture and  let this set for at least 30 minutes. I took crushed up cornflakes, added that to flour and the same spices I used in the milk mixture, except the hot sauce, in a separate bowl I beat 4 large eggs. Take a piece of chicken dip it in the flour mixture, then into the eggs, then back into the flour mixture, last place onto a plate, continue until all chicken is coated. Heat a skillet of oil (we use canola but peanut is the best to fry with). Let each side brown until golden, the chicken won't be all the way done, place it on a wire rack inside a cookie sheet sprayed with a non stick spray, cook in a 400 degree oven until the chicken is done. 5 minutes before the chicken is done drizzle with honey.

Drizzle syrup on the chicken and waffle and enjoy!

Creamy & Spinach Pasta

I had some spinach that needed used before it went bad, so I went on a search to find something that sound good and easy. I found this recipe and thought I'd try it. Of course we made some changes to it. I looked around the house to see if we had everything for it, we had almost everything except an onion and diced canned tomatoes.

When Jake came home from his favorite hangout, HOBS, (coffee shop) we headed to the store. I picked up the onion and the tomatoes, I thought that was it but Jake added something to my list, a bottle of red wine. He had asked what they wanted us to deglaze the pan with, I told him it called for water. He thought it would be better with red wine. When we got home he went to open the bottle of wine and it didn't want to cooperate with him. First the wrapper didn't want to come off, next he discovered the "wine opener thingy" wasn't in the drawer. He tried different things to get the cork out, it was hilarious! After letting him struggle for a while I finally said, "Should we go to your aunt's house to get the cork screw?"  He agreed and out we went again. It took him only a few seconds to get the cork out after we got home. Anyway back to the recipe.

Jake chopped  a medium onion and thinly sliced 4 large garlic cloves. I got the water started for the pasta (use your favorite). I heated 2 tbs of olive oil in a large deep skillet, then added the onions and garlic (I also added 1/2 of an orange bell pepper, not called for). We let that cook until the onion and pepper were tender. Next I added the can of diced tomatoes (15 oz can), 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, salt, pepper, and a healthy pinch of ref pepper flakes. Stir to combine, Next add 2 tbs of tomato paste, and here is where we switched the 1/2 cup water for the red wine. Cook until the tomato paste has dissolved. Turn the heat to low and add 2 oz of cream cheese. Use a whisk until the cream cheese has melted and sauce is creamy. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, stir until that is fully melted. Next add the fresh spinach (9 oz bag), gentle stir until the spinach has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta stir until well coated. Serve with desired toppings.

Pan Seared Chicken in a Balsamic Cream Sauce

I found this recipe on fb and thought I would give it a try. It was surprisingly good. I did add 2 big cloves of thinly sliced garlic and extra cheese. But it turned out really good. It did take a while to make it but not too bad. I served it over some brown rice.

INGREDIENTS

1 Medium Onion - Thinly sliced
1 1/2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
5 Tbs. Butter – Divided
½ Cup Chicken Broth
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
8 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms - Halved
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper – To Taste
(2 Tbs. Peace and Love)

DIRECTIONS
Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.

In a large sauté pan over low-medium heat, add 2 Tbs. butter, onions and salt and pepper. Cook until onions are nice and caramelized - About 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a separate pan, over medium-high heat, pan-sear the chicken breasts in remaining 3 Tbs. of butter. Brown on both sides - Remove from pan and set aside. (Chicken will not be fully cooking during this stage)

De-glaze the pan with chicken broth. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the pan and mix in any remaining bits of chicken. Let simmer 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to low, add heavy cream, balsamic vinegar, mushrooms and a little salt and pepper. Let simmer 10 minutes.

Add chicken breasts back to the sauce pan, and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through. About 10-15 minutes

Remove chicken breasts from the pan and plate. Add the Parmesan cheese and caramelized onions to the sauce and stir until the cheese is melted in to the sauce. Pour sauce over top of chicken.

No Fry Fried Ice Cream

For some reason after my work out tonight I wanted fried ice cream. I haven't had anything bad to eat in weeks, so I thought I would try to make it. I searched the net for a recipe and ran across several no fry ones. So I kind of combined both of them.

I took a gallon size freezer bag and filled it with corn flakes, I closed the bag, then smashed them until they were fine. I then melted butter in a frying pan added the crushed corn flakes, 3 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tsp honey. I combined the ingredients and cooked them for about 2 minutes, until the cornflakes are golden brown. I poured the mixture into a shallow baking dish and let it cool for a few minutes. Then take the ice cream and scoop out about a baseball size, with clean hands form quickly into a ball, then coat mixture on the outside of the ball. I then placed it in the freezer while making more, this way everyone gets them at the same time. I took them out after about 5 minutes, drizzle with caramel (or your favorite topping), add whipped cream, lastly enjoy!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

I thought I would try this new recipe I found on Facebook. It looked good and and it was easy.following is . I did make 2 changes, I made my own taco seasoning because I never buy store taco seasoning. I combined 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp. Mexican oregano, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp cayenne.  I used store bought medium salsa, and used 1 whole medium onion. Well it turned out dry and bland. I should have went with my instincts and added a jalapeno, and garlic. Of course some really good hot sauce would been good too. We made this into tacos. We topped them with shredded cheese, green onions, and bacon. The following is the recipe I followed. I try to follow the recipe the first time then change it if I make again. It was suppose to look like this but I have no clue what they did to get it to look like this.

 Ingredients
2 lbs. (32 oz.) chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 cup salsa, homemade or purchased
1 cup petite diced canned tomatoes (choose low-sodium)
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
1 cup onions, diced fine
1/2 cup celery diced fine
1/2 cup carrots, shredded (you can leave these out if you are concerned about the carbs)
3 tbsp. sour cream, reduced fat (can use regular sour cream if you like)
Directions
Place the chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat then layer the vegetables and salsa on top. Pour a half cup water over the mixture, set on low and cook for 6-8 hours. The meat is cooked when it shreds or reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. When ready to serve, break up the chicken with two forks then stir in the sour cream.
Makes eight 1 cup servings.
Nutrition Info: Calories: 164.9; Fat: 2.5g; Carbohydrates: 7.3g; Protein: 27.6g
By: Quick and Easy Recipe