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.

   

Chicken Strips

 Last night Jake had this whole menu planned out from breakfast to dinner, well that fell apart. He did make beignets this morning. He started bu making the dough last night, then he got up this morning and finished them off. He was supposed to make oven fried chicken strips, and homemade mac and cheese with it. well that didn't happen.

  For dinner, he dipped some skinless boneless chicken breast strips in the flour and put them on a cookie sheet in a 425 degree oven. He also made some tater tots, right out the bag. I did not have those.

 I made some baked zucchini, by splitting the zucchini in 1/2 placing them on a baking sheet, sprinkled thyme, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper on them. I then sprinkled some olive oil over them, then placed them in the oven. 5 minutes before they were done I put some Parmesan cheese on top and cooked them until the cheese was melted.

 I also made a nice salad, which I put 1 of the chicken strips on top of it. That was dinner so easy and fast!
Here is a pic of the beignets.

Crepes with Berry Sauce

 Tonight was a collaboration between Jake and I. We knew we wanted breakfast for dinner but wasn't sure of what we wanted. I mentioned crepes and Jake said ok, I'll help.  Mind you I have never made them before but Jake had at school. Besides, why wouldn't a teenage boy, who makes souffles, make crepes. Off to the store we went to pick up a bag of frozen mixed berries, fresh was to expensive, a lemon, and of course whipped cream.

  I started by pouring 1/2 bag of berries into a small sauce pan, along with 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and the zest of a small lemon. I let it come to a boil, and cooked it for about 5 minutes, then I took the potato masher and smooshed  them up, I then turned the heat down to low and let it reduced by 1/2, then I turned it off. Meanwhile, I took 1- 8 oz package of cream cheese, and mixed 1 tablespoon of raspberry jam into it and set aside.

 For the crepes Jake made the batter by, whisking together 1 cup flour and 2 large eggs. Gradually add in 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water, stirring to combine. Add in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Beat until smooth, you don't want any lumps at all. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan (we used the frying pan), over medium high heat. Pour the batter into the pan (using approx. 1/4 cup per crepe) Tilt the pan in a circular motion so the batter coats the pan evenly. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is lightly brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side.

 To serve, we placed 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the middle and gently rolled them up. On top I poured the homemade berry sauce (syrup) over the crepe, place 1 tablespoon of whipped cream on top, then a few of the leftover berries on top of that, then I added a little bit of parsley for color ( some fresh mint would have been great, but our store didn't have any).

Grilled Chicken and Spinach Ravioli with a White Sauce

 I finally cooked tonight. I decided on some chicken and spinach ravioli I had in the fridge. We like the fresh ravioli we get at Grocery Outlet, it's in the case by the cheese.

 For the sauce I chopped 1 medium yellow onion, some red, yellow, orange, sweet, mini peppers, garlic, mushrooms and some fresh spinach (I like it in small pieces). Next, I started a large pot of water to boil, add the salt to the water so your pasta gets some flavor. Then I heated up a deep skillet with some bulk mild Italian sausage. I let the sausage fully cook, then removed it from the pan into a bowl. I left some of the grease in the pan, then added the onion and peppers. I let them cook until just tender then added the mushrooms and garlic. I let that cook down for about 4 minutes. Next, I added 1 tbs butter and 2 tbs olive oil, and 3 tbs flour. I mixed that up really well and cooked it for 2 minutes. Next I added 1 can of chicken broth. I let that reduce by 1/3 and thicken up. Then I added about 1 cup of heavy cream, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, pepper, chili pepper flakes, salt, and some of the sausage back in, then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. A few minutes before serving I added in the fresh spinach, and stirred it until it wilted in.

 Meanwhile, I started cooking the ravioli, only about 5 at a time so they weren't crowded. To plate I placed 4 ravioli on a plate and some of the sauce, topped it with fresh Parmesan, and chopped flat leaf parsley. I also served some garlic bread with it.

 Yes, I put on way to much sauce, but it was so good!. I made way too much for Jake and I so I took some to Troy at work. It's funny how everyone that works at Taco Bell was staring to see what I brought. If Troy would every share with them...lol

Chicken, Cous Cous, and Carrots

 Last night was my turn but I decided to cook Subway because the kitchen wasn't functional due to me painting. Tonight Jake cooked.

 For the chicken he took a rather large boneless skinless chicken breast, and marinated in a garlic balsamic marinade we bought at Grocery Outlet. He let it sit for a few hours. To cook it he heated olive oil in a cast iron skillet, then seared the chicken on both sides. He added some baby carrots to the pan, then poured the marinade over the chicken and carrots, along with some balsamic vinegar, and a little more olive oil. He then placed it in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes.

 Meanwhile, he took a box of cous cous, added some chopped green onions, and red, yellow, sweet peppers. It didn't take long for that to cook. Dinner was good as usual. It was way too much food for me. I ate 1/4 of the chicken, 1/2 cous cous, all of my carrots.

Steak, Potatoes, and Salad

I know I haven't posted in a while, but we have been very busy and haven't really been cooking much. Last night I cooked some chicken, rice, and veggies. Tonight it was Jake's turn to cook. He decided on steak (we got it for $3.50 in the reduce for quick sale) it was a top sirloin, some red potatoes, and I made myself a salad.

 For the steak he used a dry rub, A-1 sweet mesquite, then he seared it in the cast iron skillet until it medium. In separate skillet he sauteed 1 medium sliced yellow onion, mushrooms, and garlic, in olive oil.

 For the potatoes he took some red potatoes, placed them in a medium sized pot, added oil, butter, sliced garlic, basil, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. He let those brown, then added some turkey stock. He then covered them, and let them steam. However he let them go to far, so they ended up like mashed potatoes with the skin, he added Parmesan cheese to them and stirred. They tasted great!