it is mid-month, and last night i took the time to catch my ideal menu for october up to my real life menu for october. i said in my disclaimer when i posted my initial month's menu, that i held the right to negate, switch or change any meals.. because i usually do. and, i did. i now have two chicken meals in one week, and two turkey burger meals in the next. ideal? nope. but, when is real life ideal?
seriously.
if october keeps on keeping on like this(stress, work, boyfriend surpising me with dinners out (yay), pure laziness, etc) - there is a large possibility that you will seem some of these meals trickle on over to november. (yesssssssssss.)
i feel like i am on an episode of sesame street. i apparently have an affinity for sounding out my recipes. p-p-p-pot roast. ch-ch-ch-chicken paprikash.
st-st-st-strange.
anyway, i made chicken paprikash a new way last night. normally i make it in the crocky- it consists of shredded chicken, hungarian paprika, onions, sour cream and dumplings. this recipe holds basically the same ingredients, add green bell pepper, subtract dumplings, add egg noodles, unshred chicken. i was nervous because he grew up with the crockpot version- and loves it but i dont care for the dumplings but i love the flavor- so i thought i'd try something a little different.....
ingredients:
1 tbsp evoo (i just pulled a rachel ray) 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (i am sure you could use dark meat here- thighs maybe, but i am anti.) 1 medium onion- sliced 1 bell peper-sliced 2 cloves (ish) chopped garlic 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (i used whole and just crushed them with my hands- messy, but i think better) salt black pepper 1 tbsp paprika (i use hungarian paprika) sour cream fresh dill egg noodles
method:
let the oil heat up in large, deep skillet or pot
salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast
brown chicken breasts about 4-5 min each side, remove from skillet, set aside
keep drippings from chicken in pan (if it is an excessive amount, only keep about 2 tbsp)
add onion, bell pepper and garlic- stir until tender (about 4-5 minutes)
add crushed tomatoes (you can add some of the juice, but don't add all of it)
add paprika, about 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt- mix
bring ingredients to a boil over medium heat
when boiling, nestle chicken in the mixture and then simmer partially UNcovered for about 20 minutes or until chicken is done
nestled chicken
while chicken is cooking, boil egg noodles (i like the wheaty- whole grainy ones, but to be traditional, use, well, the traditional ones)
place chicken and pepper/onion/tomato mix over noodles
top with a dollop of daisy (sour cream) and a sprig or two of fresh dill
*the dill really compliments the meal. next time i will mince it and add it to pan near the end of cooking
tastes as good as it looks!
this was a success, as my paprikash snob really liked it too! however, that does not eliminate the crockpot version. stay tuned for that recipe down the road.
So, in my project of trying new breakfast foods, I found a lot that had granola in them. I love granola, but it's really expensive-- and in reading about different kinds of granola, I found that it really isn't that healthy. It's full of sugar and all sorts of preservatives.
I had to find something better. Something cheaper, something healthier.
I did.
I found something that is full of protein and has some fiber also-- and is made with things easy to find in any grocery store, was prepared in about 30 minutes (only because I had an accident with it-- more on that later), and cooked in less than an hour.
Rather than give you the recipe I found, I'll share with you the way i actually made it. Keep in mind you can change this up pretty much however you want. Change the nuts. Exchange pumpkin seeds in for the sunflower seeds. Use agave nectar or maple syrup instead of honey. Use your imagination!
Healthy Homemade Granola
dry ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats (just not instant oatmeal)
2 cups raw almonds, crunched up
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
** 1/2 cup dried berries (added after cooking)
wet ingredients:
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup honey
2 T olive oil
1 T ground cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
smidgen of salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
(yes, that's dried berries in it also. I read the instructions wrong initially and thought the dried fruit was to be added with the dry ingredients. It's supposed to be added after baking. Oops.)
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Remember to add the dried fruit after cooking. I forgot. I added them to everything, stirred it together, then had to pick them all out. On the plus side, I found out that mixing it by hand was MUCH easier than with a spoon.
Mix the wet ingredients and spices together, then add them to the dry ingredients.
Spread into two baking dishes that have been treated with a little nonstick spray. I had a 13x9 and an 8x8 available. Bake for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Be careful when stirring it not to break it up too much-- you know how granola is supposed to be kind of chunky, and you don't want it to get too flaky. The original recipe said to bake it until it starts to get golden brown, but it's basically golden brown the whole time. So I stirred until it was sort of dry, and, well, granola-texture.
storage conditions-- there's a lot of fresh food in it that can go bad if left on the counter, even if in an airtight container. If you're not going to eat it all in a day or two, store it in a cool, dry place. I put most of it in a gallon-size freezer bag and stored it in the freezer. The rest I put in a tupperware container in the fridge.
Nutritional Value for 1/2 cup granola:
232 calories
7 grams protein
12.7 grams fat (mostly comes from the nuts and seeds)
this is a perfect dish to make if youre feeding a lot of people, or if you want a hardy meal. this stuff is addicting, and probably not very healthy. but, it is wonderful. AND im gonna swallow my pride here and post the quick and simple recipe using........
FROZEN MEATBALLS
yep, i said it. and i've done it. and i assure you, i will do it again.
it tastes as lucious as it looks. scouts honor.
recipe:
1 bag FROZEN MEATBALLS (i use the turkey meatballs)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef broth
1/4 cup dijon mustard
worchestire sauce to taste
chopped garlic to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp dry dill OR a sprig or 2 of fresh dill over top
YOU can add fresh chopped 'shrooms if you want. i do not. that's disgusting.
method: mix the above ingredients together in your crocky. cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
**note: if youre using the frozen meatballs, youre not really "cooking" anything, just warming it up and meshing together all the flavors. a varied cooktime here is ok.**
before serving:
mix together the following:
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup water
after mixing this together, mix it into the crockpot to thicken sauce
boil egg noodles in water, add to crockpot when done, let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
enjoy!!
PS: this makes a lot of food. prepare yourself for leftovers. fo' sho.
i feel like i've reached a new level of kitchening. seriously.
i cannot tell you how extremely jealous i am WAS of these people who do not need to cream butter and sugar together by hand. these people who do not need to knead their bread by hand. because they have...
a kitchenaid mixer.
i'd been talking with chris about getting one for a while. honest, i was hoping to get one for my birthday in january, but that would mean i'd go through yet another holiday season without one. i kept telling him it would be good for my RA, and that i would make all sorts of goodies for him if i had one...
well, i got one.
we found a killer sale at target, and by "we", i mean erica. obviously.
ps erica, many thanks for the text and for you driving to target again to get it for us.
anyways, it's red. and it's beautiful. and it fits perfectly. and matches my kitchen. and immediately after we unpacked it and cleaned it, i used it last night. i know i just made instant vanilla pudding, but i just *had* to use it!
here's a great recipe where I attempted to be the daredevil half of this relationship for once:
This meal was so good, I'm not even going to talk about it. I'm just going to dive right into how delicious it was.
Ok, I lie a little. it was amazing. i cooked up the mushrooms the night before, to make for an easy prep today. they smelled so good, sauteing in the wine. mmmm. then today, i was concerned because it didn't smell quite as good. well, it smelled good, just not as strong. don't know why, it just didn't. maybe my sniffer was broken, because it sure tasted good.
wanna know the best part about this one?
i made it up.
this whole recipe came from inside my noggin.
stuffing:
large container of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 or 1/2 cup of red wine (i used cabernet sauvignon, my favorite)
italian seasoning
garlic salt
bread crumbs
cheese blend (i used a parmesan/asiago)
sautee the mushrooms over medium high in just a touch of olive oil. add some italian seasoning, a pinch of garlic salt, and the wine. simmer in the wine until it pretty much boils off, stirring occasionally. put in a bowl, adding about a cup of bread crumbs and a generous sprinkling of cheese, and stir.
pork loin:
how to prepare the pork loin:
this isn't how i did it, but i wish i'd done it by the "roll" method-- the second one she shows you. it'd be so much easier.
mine was more of a double-butterfly on opposite sides (can i patent that method??)-- slice it about 1/2" down the side, straight across until there's about 1/2" meat left to cut. flip it over and do the same thing on the opposite edge.
don't you love my depiction? slice along the red lines, all the way through the loin. and yes, that's a knife next to the pork loin. if you can't tell by my marvelous microsoft paint skills. yo.
you should now be able to unfold both of those sides and it's a larger rectangle, rather than a long tube.
fill with the stuffing, leaving about 1/2" allowance on the edges.
roll up as tightly as you can, then use kitchen string or twine to tie it up about every inch. at this point, i put mine in the fridge overnight, covered with saran wrap. you don't have to.
put in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.
carrots:
cut into bite-size pieces, like carrot sticks that have been cut in half. saute in very little olive oil with some kosher salt and italian seasoning. cook this way for a few minutes, then add two spoonfuls of white sugar and continue to cook on medium. cover to steam them, but continue stirring every minute or two. be careful not to burn the sugar. honey would be a good substitute for the sugar, if you want.
rice:
buy steam in bag brown rice. put it in the microwave for 4 minutes. serve.
i buy lobster tails when they are on sale and freeze them (note: crustacean are the only seafood i will buy/eat frozen). these are rock lobster tails, but i think any will do. i've made all kinds of lobster tails, and they all taste the same to me.
lobster prep: after thawing (i run cold water over them in a strainer) butterfly each tail by using kitchen shears to cut lengthwise down the middle of each side of the shell.
cut down scaled side
cut down feet side
after cutting, you will want to gently pull them apart to expose the meat.
scale side
feet side
lay prepared lobster tails in baking pan for marinating; pour SOME marinade over each tail and let sit for about 10 minutes (in or out of fridge, whatev). keep the rest of the marinade for the grill.
i bet you want the marinade recipe, huh? oh, ok.......
whisk together the following: (these are approximate. i add til i like the taste) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup lemon juice (i use fresh) however much chopped fresh garlic you fancy 1/4 cup melted butter 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp salt a few squirts of honey-maybe 3 tbsp (i add honey to like, everything)
method:
pre oil grill grate pre heat grill to med-high. place lobster tails feet down on grill. squirt some marinade on meat, close cover and grill for about 7 minutes.
after 7 minutes or so, the tails should be turning red. flip them over and squirt more marinade over. grill for an additional 3 minutes or so.
the lobster tails are done when flesh is opaque and scales are bright red.
voila! THAT easy!
on the side, i steamed some broccoli and grilled some potatoes. these potatoes are one of the first things i ever learned how to make. i have to say, i make them A LOT. probably more than i should, but they are simple and quite good. you can make them however you want, here's what i do:
quarter about 8 redskin potatoes chop 1/2 red onion put in bowl and add: my favorite spice mix miracle blend my favorite italian herb blend chopped garlic a bit of olive oil.. 2 tbsp maybe, NOT TOO MUCH.
mix together with your hands pour potatoes onto foil sheet
then, use the foil to make a tent and roll up the ends to trap the steam:
place on grill over medium heat about 15 minutes before putting lobster on. potatoes take a total of 20-25 minutes to be done.
