Soup

 I am home alone til later and needed to eat. It's rainy and cool, so I decided to make some soup. I could of took the easy way out and had a can of soup, or a cup of soup, but it didn't sound appealing.

 I heated a 1 tbls of olive oil over medium high heat, then I added 2 diced carrots, 2 diced celery stalks, 1 diced onion, 2 small diced zucchini, 1/4 of a head of shredded cabbage, 1 tsp dry rosemary, 1 tsp fresh thyme, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 bay leaf, salt, and pepper. I let that cook until veggies were tender about 6 minutes. Then I added 2 cans of chicken stock (I would have added veggie stock but the chicken was cheaper), 2 cans of rotel diced tomatoes (if you don't like heat add reg can tomatoes), Let that come to a boil, then add 1/2 can of black beans, and 1/2 can of smashed black beans, 2 cups chopped fresh spinach, and finally I chopped up the leftover pork from last night( you can leave the meat out and have a nice veggie soup. Serve with parm cheese, and crackers.

 I have to say it was pretty good and I usually don't say that about anything I cook.

Pork Medallions, Skillet Potatoes, and Asparagus

 Jake took a quick and easy way out tonight, even though his dinner took longer than mine last night. He wasn't very creative.

 He took a package of pork medallions out of the freezer, that was already marinated, defrosted them, and seared them in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil.

 Meanwhile, he took a box of Betty Crocker skillet garlic potatoes and cooked them. Lastly, I heated the asparagus that was leftover from last night, because Jake isn't going to eat veggies.

Chicken Strips, Pasta, and Asparagus

 Tonight was my turn for dinner, I felt like crap, so it had to be something fast and easy.

 I took some boneless skinless chicken breast strips, sprinkled them with Chinese 5 spice and salt. Next, I took some very fine bread crumbs, mixed in some smoked paprika, then dipped the chicken in them, and cooked them in a skillet with a small amount of olive oil.

 I then, took a box of noodle roni, followed the directions, except I added 2 cloves of chopped garlic, some basil, and oregano.

 For the asparagus I drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled on some Greek seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes, put them in the oven at 425 degrees for 5 minutes.

 In all this took maybe 5 minutes.

Someone mentioned that everything we cooked looked really fancy. Well, you can take anything and make it look fancy. It just makes it better to eat if it looks pretty. Everything on this plate, except the Parmesan cheese, came from The Grocery Outlet. It's a discount store. The chicken breast strips came in a large bag, probably 6 meals for Jake and I at $6.99. The asparagus was 2 bunches for $3.00, and the pasta roni was 2 boxes for $1.00. Yes, sometimes we splurge and cook something really good and cost a bit more but doesn't everyone do that? We really enjoy food and I really enjoy a good savings. 

Chicken in Tomato and Olive Sauce

 Jake got out of cooking last night because we had a late lunch. He did make dessert, a red wine and cherry sauce sundae. So, he did cook tonight.

 This is another Michael Symon 5 in 5 meal. What you will need. 1/4 cup olive oil, 6 4 oz boneless, skin on thighs, pounded to 1/4 inch thick, (he used boneless skinless chicken breast), Salt, pepper, 2 garlic cloves, sliced (Jake used more than 2), 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, 1- 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup chopped olives (kalamata) the zest and juice of one orange( seeing we are both allergic to oranges he sub a lemon + 1 tsp sugar), and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

 Heat a dutch oven (our large orange thing), over medium high heat. Add the olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the chicken skin side down, cook until golden brown. Flip the chicken, add the garlic and rosemary, and cook for 30 seconds.

 Add in 1/2 cup water and deglaze the pan, scrapping with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with the juices, olives, zest and juice of the orange, and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook until chicken is done, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings, Jake added some greek seasonings to it. Serve hot.

 To go with this Jake threw 2 potatoes into the microwave for baked potatoes. This whole dinner took him about 7 minutes.

Salmon with Rice, and Squash

 I got a new cookbook yesterday, Michael Symon's 5 in 5. It gives you recipes that take 5 ingredients that should take 5 minutes to prepare. I found this salmon recipe and thought I would try it because of my whole diet thing. But of course, I added a few things to it.

  For the salmon, It said to get 4- 6 oz pieces of salmon. I just went and bought 1 large piece because it was a lot cheaper nor did I wish to cut it. It was easier to just cook it like it was. Lay out sheets of foil to make a pouch with, salt and pepper both sides of the fish, then place 1 sprig of fresh rosemary on top of it (I couldn't find any fresh here in town so I used dried), next a large pinch of crushed red peppers or one fresno chili sliced and placed on top, 2 large minced cloves of garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Next I added some thinly sliced zucchini. I thought it need some color so I sliced 1 small red and yellow bell pepper to go on top too, then poured 2 cups of wine on top,(after almost closing the packets), if doing individual servings it's 1/2 cup wine per packet. He cooks it on a grill for 5 minutes, I cooked it in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.

 Meanwhile, I had some microwaveable rice a roni, so in 6 minutes I had cooked rice. It was a very easy fast dinner, just the kind I like. Tomorrow is suppose to be Jake's night to cook.

 

Ravioli with Spinach and Shrimp

 Tonight was Jake's turn to cook dinner. So he took 4 cheese ravioli that was in the fridge ($1.69 at grocery outlet) and a bag of frozen shrimp, again bought at grocery outlet for $3.99.

  Here is what he did he took 2 tbs olive oil and added 3 tbs butter, along with fresh basil, oregano, chives,  4 chopped cloves garlic, a pinch of saffron, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, he cooked it for about 1 minute, then added 1/3 cup white wine. Meanwhile he had a large pot of water boiling. He cooked that for  2 minutes, then added 1 tsp lemon pepper, and, salt he let it simmer. When he dropped the pasta, he added the shrimp to the pan of sauce. He cooked the shrimp just until it was opaque. Then he added some chopped fresh spinach, then let it wilt. Finally he added the pasta, mixed to combine it along with a ladle full of the pasta water. He garnished with some Parmesan cheese.

Breakfast for Dinner

  Tonight was my night to choose what was for dinner, Jake made frozen potpies last night. He worked so hard! I looked in the fridge and found leftover waffle batter, there go, breakfast for dinner.

  This is my waffle batter recipe, we very rarely use a box mix. Start by beating 2 large eggs until they are fluffy. Next add in 2 cups flour, 1 3/4 cup milk (we use lactose free, or rice milk, you can also just use water), 1/2 cup oil (we use canola, you can use your favorite), 1 tbs granulated sugar or brown sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix it all together and pour it on your waffle iron.

  I made a strawberry syrup by, taking frozen, thawed sliced strawberries, placed then in a sauce pan, add 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water. Let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, reduce the liquid by 1/4, then turn off the heat.

  I threw the sausage and bacon in the oven to cook. Easy fast dinner.

Steak, Spring Risotto, and Chocolate Souffles

  Tonight Jake and I made dinner for my sister and her family. Jake was suppose to make this last night for Valentine's Day, but he had to play, with the band, at the basketball game. We do this every Valentine's Day. I let Jake pick the menu. I know all of this sounds expensive but really it wasn't, we fed 8 people. The ribeyes were the most expensive, I paid $30 for 4 steaks, but if you break it down, we split 4 steaks in 1/2 to make 8, so that was $3.00 a person. The risotto was pretty cheap, I took 1 bag of brown rice (I had bought 3 bags for $1.00 a while ago, the chicken stock was also 3 cans for $1.00,  the asparagus was $1.99, leek was $1.50, and finally we had the white wine in the fridge. The chocolate for the souffle was $0.99 a bar (baking chocolate) and we used 2 bars.

 I will start with the steak, I cut the steaks in 1/2, patted them dry, salted and peppered both sides, drizzled them with olive oil, and seared them in a hot cast iron skillet. Then let them sit for 5 minutes before serving. I also made a herbed butter to go with the steaks, I took butter, mixed some grated garlic, some chopped fresh oregano, basil, chives, and thyme. I placed it in a freezer bag and rolled it up, then placed it in the freezer to firm it up.

 For the risotto, I suggest prepping the veggies, 1 large leek(you can sub green onions, or spring onions), chop it up into small pieces, 3 to 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 bunch of asparagus, thinly sliced at an angle. Next Jake, combined 4 cups of chicken stock, 1 large pinch of saffron (we have had a container of this for a year now), and 2 cups of water. Bring it to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. In a round bottomed pan heat 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat, add the white part of the leek, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, stir for 2 to 3 minutes, add the rice and stir a minute or two, add the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed into the rice. Next begin adding the stock 1 ladle full at a time. With each addition of stock. stir the rice vigorously to build up the starch, do not add more stock until most of the last liquid is absorbed. The rice will be al dente after 18 minutes. Next begin preparing the asparagus in a separate skillet 2 to 3 minutes before risotto is done. Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add the asparagus and lightly brown it, season it with the juice of 1 lemon, salt, and pepper. Finish the risotto by stirring in 3 tbs butter, the leeks, 1/2 the asparagus, and a handful of grated parm. Garnish with the rest of the asparagus. This took a long time to cook, but Jake did an amazing job!

Next Jake and Dakota made yummy souffles with a blueberry sauce. Here is the following recipe that Jake always uses, but he did a different sauce this time.

ingredients:

Chocolate Soufflés:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch salt
Pinch cream of tartar

Raspberry Sauce:
5 ounces fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Powdered sugar, for garnish

directions:

Chocolate Souffles:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease two 8-ounce ramekins. Coat the ramekins with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla and egg yolks, one at a time.

In a clean bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar just until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate. Spoon into the prepared ramekins. Soufflés can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day.

Bake until puffed and set, about 20 minutes (25 minutes if baking directly from the refrigerator).

Raspberry Sauce:
While the souffles are baking, purée the raspberries and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, blender, or with an immersion blender, until smooth. Press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.

Garnish the chocolate souffles with powdered sugar and serve immediately with raspberry sauce. 

Here is the blueberry sauce he made.  2 cups blueberry (he used frozen) 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbs lemon juice, 2 tbs cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs cold water, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and the zest of 1 lemon. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/2 cup water, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir frequently, and bring to a low boil. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tbs of cold water. Slowly stir the cornstarch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the berries. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in vanilla and lemon zest.

This was one amazing meal!!

Cornish Game Hens, Baked Potatoes, and Asparagus

 Yesterday while at Grocery Outlet I found the game hens for $2.49 each. I decided that would be dinner tonight. I had bought the asparagus there a week ago for $1.99.

 I took the hens placed them in a baking pan covered with foil, seasoned with dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary. I drizzled it with olive oil, covered it, and placed it in a 375 degree oven for about 1 hour. I took it out smothered it in butter that had 3 cloves of grated garlic mixed in it, then placed it back in the oven for 10 minutes until browned.

 Meanwhile I trimmed the asparagus, placed them on a cookie sheet, sprinkled them with thyme, salt, and drizzled with olive oil. I placed them in the oven for the last 10 minutes of the hens cooking.

 I placed the potatoes in the microwave for 5 minutes.

Chicken Salad and Chicken with Brown Rice

 I wasn't sure what we were having tonight, I wanted something easy, fast, and healthy. I decided on some of the boneless skinless chicken breast strips I bought in a large bag. I told Jake I was making a chicken spinach salad, I would cook the chicken, and he could come up with something to go with. He decided on brown rice.

 He started cutting up fresh herbs and onions, so I asked him to cut up some for me and I would make a sauce for the chicken to match what herbs he was putting in his rice. He chopped oregano, basil, thyme, chives, garlic, green onions, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, and ask him to chopped 1/2 of red onion.

 I took the chicken seasoned it with salt and pepper, seared it in a large deep skillet with olive oil. I then removed it from the skillet, added a little more olive oil, the red onion, and garlic. I cooked that until the onion became translucent. I then deglazed the pan with 1/2 cup white wine, and 1/2 can of chicken broth. I cooked that down for about 2 minutes, then added 1/4 cup heavy cream, and ll the herbs. I then placed the chicken back in the pan, covered it and let it simmer.

 Meanwhile, Jake had put 3/4 cup brown rice in a sauce pan, with 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup white wine, and all the herbs. He covered it and simmered it until all the liquid was gone.

 I chopped up my salad, spinach, red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, and pea pods. When the chicken was done I sliced it, put it on top of my salad, and used a zesty Italian dressing.

When the rice was done Jake placed the chicken on top of it, topped it with chopped fresh spinach, and some Parmesan cheese.

 

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

 Tonight's dinner started out in the grocery store yesterday. My sister had told me that a little store about 8 miles from us had some really good prices for meat, so since I was home alone and bored I thought I would check it out. I was walking by the meat department and spotted the clams, they were not fresh one but frozen, but what the heck I thought I would give them a try. Oh, and I did find some small packages of steak at a good price and the perfect size for Jake and I. Next, I thought, what am I going to do with the clams. I saw the wines and thought about some kind of white wine sauce, there you go linguine with clams.

 This is what I did. First rinse and drain your clams, about 5 dozen, next heat a large deep skillet with about 1/4 cup EVOO, add 4 large cloves of garlic, cook the garlic until it is golden brown, then remove it from the pan. Place 3 1/2 dozen clams into the pan with 1 cup white wine, and 1/2 cup water (I think next time I would use chicken or veggie stock instead of water). Bring it to a boil then cover, cook about 10 minutes and clams are open. Side note, remember if clams don't open they are not good. When clams are open remove them from the pan, reduce the liquid, and pour into a glass bowl, set aside you will use it later. When the clams are cooled remove them from the shells and set aside.

 Start a pot of salted water for your pasta, Meanwhile, put more olive oil into the pan (about the same amount), add another 4 large cloves of garlic, and a large pinch of red pepper flakes, cook until garlic is golden brown, then remove, add the rest of the clams, and the reserved liquid. Bring to a boil and cook until the clams open. Remove the clams and keep warm. Add 2 tbs. of butter to the pan, the clams that were removed from the shells, the pasta, 2 tsp. of chopped oregano, 2 tsp. chopped flat leaf parsley, and I added some chopped fresh spinach( it didn't call for it but I did it anyway). Toss well, finish it with a drizzle of olive oil.

Top with grated Parmesan, the clams that are still in the shells, and chopped parsley.

I love that Jake and I can cook together like this. It has increased the foods he will eat. When we started this I couldn't get him to eat any veggies at all or fruits. Now he will eat spinach, cooked or not, onions, peppers, fruit desserts. I think cooking with your kids no matter the age is a wonderful thing.