Fave Go-To super easy dinner #3 ~ 3.4.11

I have been loving chicken lately. Especially with all the germs and colds and illnesses flying through our door, chicken soup has been in constant rotation. It's my "go-to" medicine next to chamomile tea with local honey. ;) And when you have chicken, you probably have some leftover chicken! Well, at least I always do, especially if I'm cooking one in a pot and roasting the other (that's a really good idea by the way), double duty meals, Roast chicken one night and chicken soup another night. And by all means, you should always save your bones to make stock! Let me know if you don't know how...

So this is a quick and easy recipe that my kids love and I know they'll eat it without any complaints! Gotta love meals like that.

I think I have each of the steps in pics for you and then I'll post the recipe at the end, got it?

Start by tearing your chicken apart and putting it in a bowl. Add enough BBQ sauce to make yourself happy. If it's not warmed already, warm it up for a couple of minutes.

While you've got the BBQ chicken warming up, heat up your griddle and throw your tortillas on to warm them through, making them pliable. As you warm/toast each one, slide it into a packet of foil (fold the foil in half to fit your tortillas and keep it closed so they don't dry out).

Get your cheese ready. I used smoked gouda b/c I had it and love it. You could sub out cheddar or Monterey Jack or colby jack or mozzarella if you have those.You will also need a little canola oil (not more than a Tbs), some salt, and a pastry brush.

see this night I only had so much gouda and I used some mozzarella!

Now, brush one side of your tortilla with a little oil, sprinkle it with some kosher salt and lay that side down on the griddle. Add a bit of cheese and some of the chicken mixture. Fold the top over and start another one right beside that. You could add a little more cheese on top of the chicken, too, if you really love cheese. It also helps it all stick together!

Now let these cook for a few - think of it as a variation on the grilled cheese. You just want your cheese to melt and your bottom of the tortilla to be a little browned before you flip it. Okay, looks like it's ready to flip!

Keep repeating until you're out of chicken and cheese (I know, so exact). and then cut them into wedges and serve! We like to eat these with fresh fruit and veggies.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

cup to cup and a half of leftover roast chicken

fave BBQ sauce

6-8 oz of cheese of your choosing; smoked gouda is really good

8 tortillas

canola oil

kosher salt

1. warm tortillas on a griddle and keep warm

2. pull chicken off bones and add BBQ sauce to it. Warm up in microwave

3. Shred your cheese

4. Brush a little oil on one side of tortilla and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Lay the oiled side down on a hot griddle.

5. Lay cheese and some chicken mixture on the tortilla. Fold over the top. Cook a few minutes until bottom is golden. Flip and cook until top is golden and the cheese is melted.

6. Keep repeating until all the chicken and cheese has disappeared into a tortilla

7. Slice into wedges and serve with fresh fruit and veggies!

Homemade Creamy Hummus ~ 11.17.10

Making your own hummus is such a good trick to have in your back pocket. You only need to have a few pantry staples on hand to throw this together in minutes!

I found this recipe in an issue of Cook's Illustrated and took their recommendation on what brand of tahini to buy as well.

Most hummus recipes that I love have tahini as the star ingredient (next to the chickpeas, that is). Tahini looks like peanut butter but is ground sesame seed paste. CI recommended Joyva or Krinos brand tahinis. I found the Krinos at Market District Giant Eagle for about 6.99 a bottle. I'll probably get at least 4 hummus recipes out of that one bottle, so it's well worth buying your own and making it in the food processor.

They also gave recommendations on which brand of chick peas/garbanzo beans to buy. Pastene came highly recommended and in second place, Goya.

Restaurant Style Hummus

This recipe would be great with homemade Pita Chips!

3 Tbs juice from 1-2 lemons

1/4 cup water

6 tbs tahini, stirred well (that equals 1/2 cup, why they don't say that, I'm not sure)

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 (14oz) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and picked through- I took out the "skins"

1 small garlic clove, minced (about 1/2 tsp)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin

pinch cayenne

1 Tbs minced fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

paprika (optional)

1. Combine lemon juice and water in a small bowl. Whisk together the tahini and 2 Tbs oil in second bowl. Set aside 2 Tbs. chickpeas for garnish.

2. Process remaning chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until amost fully ground. Scrape down bowl with spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice/water mixture through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds.

3. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle with chickpeas and cilantro, cover with plastic wrap and let flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. drizzle with olive oil and serve.

- if you're holding this over for awhile, reserve garnishes until ready to serve. I was transporting my hummus the day I took the pic and didn't want EVOO all over the place, so I just garnished with a little paprika and the chickpeas.

-keeps up to 5 days in fridge. If too thick, add a Tbs of warm water and mix well before serving.

Creamy mushroom toasts ~ 11.10.10

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

oh good grief, can you tell I'm a mom of 4 boys?

Let me start over...

A long ways back, I happened upon this simple little recipe. It is just the perfect little treat for a late dinner or when you need a comforting happy belly sort of lunch.

It's quick to throw together and forgiving in that as long as you use the main ingredients of mushrooms, cream and toast... you're golden.

I'm eating it right now and had to pour myself a glass of wine (b/c I'm cooking something with it and well, Julia Child would do that, right?) to go along with it. It's a classy yet simple kind of meal.

Buon Appetit!

Creamy Mushroom Toasts
adapted from Angry Chicken
Like I said up above, this is forgiving, so if you don't have shallots, don't fret, I've made it without them. And if you don't have fresh herbs, use a little dried. Just stick to the main stuff: mushrooms, butter, cream, good crusty bread. You'll thank me.

8oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp or so of butter
fresh herbs chopped: I like thyme and parsley
half a shallot, minced fine
S & P
heavy cream- couple Tbsp's
crusty bread
optional: Adobo seasoning (I just have to put it on everything!)

Heat a saute pan and get your butter in there and melted. (if you're using shallots, add them at this point and saute until translucent- I didn't have them today) Add the sliced mushrooms and don't crowd the pan or mess with them too much. You want them to get good and toasty on one side before you push them around. After about 5 minutes or so, stir the mushrooms around and season with S & P and some Adobo seasoning, if you'd like. S&P is just fine, too. Now, add some chopped herbs and a couple Tbs of cream. I do not measure this, just eyeball it a bit and add some till my mushrooms are swimming in a pool of cream and happy as can be. Happy mushrooms = Happy Crafty. Cream = Very happy Crafty!

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Slice your bread and toast to perfection.

Serve your creamy mushrooms alongside the toast and pour yourself a glass of wine. Enjoy!

My idea of Summer Dinner ~ 7.27.10

Ah Summer is nearly over already and I've been thoroughly enjoying my "summer break" in the kitchen.

I try to cook less and eat whatever I can find in and around the house. HA!

This is one of our favorite "oops-it's-already-5:30-and-we-need-to-eat-dinner" dinners. I call Snackie Dinner.

The general rule of thumb is that you pull out some veggies, fruits, cheese and all the dippers you've got stowed away in your pantry... and some DIPS: hummus, eggplant dip, salsa, brushetta... Set it all out on fun plates on the deck, pour yourself a glass of wine and fill the sippies with juice and get snacking! We usually pop in a movie and have popcorn for dessert on these Snackie Dinner nights.

BLT Pasta or How Crafty Makes a Mess in the Kitchen ~ 6.7.10

Last week I watched a DVR'ed episode of the RR show. I was salivating at 11:00 at night over her Bacon, Leek and Tomato Pasta but was not about to do anything about it then.

Fast forward to the next day when I was wondering what to make for dinner and thought about the bacon in my fridge and the spaghetti in my pantry. A quick trip to the store for a can of San Marzano Tomatoes and a leek and I was ready to make this dish!

Here's a link to Rachael's recipe: Bacon, Leek and Tomato Pasta 

One thing to note about this pasta- if you're a saucy kinda pasta lovin' person, you're not going to love this. It's a more chunky not too much sauce kind of sauce. You may want to double it or serve some other marinara sauce (and yes, I did that) on the side to satiate those saucier sauce lovin' peeps, K?

I was going on sheer memory but thought to google the recipe just to be sure once I started frying up the bacon. I wasn't using the recommended center cut bacon and needed to get rid of about a 1/3 cup of grease.

Oh glory! The scent of bacon in the house is just so lovely (I just wish is wouldn't linger so long)!

I added the chopped up leek and garlic. Do you know how to clean a leek? You do so AFTER you cut it b/c of all the grit and dirt that gets trapped between the layers. Cut your leek into half moon shapes and then put them all in a big bowl filled with water (I use my colander/salad spinner). Now, pretend you are a washing machine and swish your hand around and around. The dirt will fall to the bottom! Dry off those squeaky clean leeks and get them in the frying pan.... FAST!

Next, add the tomatoes with the juice. Why did I choose the pricey San Marzanos? This recipe has so few ingredients that I wanted the best tomatoes in here. San Marzanos are "up there" on the wonderful tasting tomato ladder.

I smooshed mine up with a potato masher and ... LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!

I give you exhibit A and B:

A.B.

tomato juice everywhere! oops.

ps. that's what a can of imported San Marzanos looks like (see Exhibit A)

All cleaned up and my pasta water was ready to get its healthy dose of SALT!

That is about the most UNFLATTERING photo of my hand, evah. It looks so fat! Moving on...

I added my half a box of regular Barilla thin spaghetti and my half a box of wheat spaghetti- which took the same amount of time to cook. Six minutes on the timer and I went back to stir my sauce.

Add some pepper and taste for seasoning.

IMPORTANT TIP: Scoop out a measuring cup of that pasta water before you drain it! IMPORTANT TIP! It will extend your sauce and make it all work together nicely.

Pasta is done, adding sauce to my drained pasta to incorporate it all together and MARRY the flavors. ( I love Marrying flavors here)

Plating it up! With a sprinkling of Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese!

Now for the real test. Did my boys eat it. YES! YES! they did! After a good crying fit and a trip to his room, Zachary realized the error of his ways and said this about it, " It is good, Mama! I like it!" A few others picked out the chunky tomatoe parts, but I'm pretty sure the bacon saved the day in this dish!

whew. thank you, Lord.

Serve it up with some fresh lettuce a neighbor picked from their garden and crispy breadsticks and you'll have a winner of a dinner!

mmm delectable!

Spring in a pan ~ 3.5.10

Spring is certainly not far off when asparagus starts to show up on sale!

Pan Roasted Asparagus

1 lb of asparagus, ends trimmed
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

Heat oil- a few turns of the pan is all you need (about 2 Tbs)- on high for a few minutes.
Add asparagus and give it a shake to coat the asparagus with the oil. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt.
Saute on high to med. high, shaking the pan frequently until the asparagus is cooked and carmelized.

Pierce an end (or pop one in your mouth) to check for tenderness. We like ours with not a lot of bite, really tender. You may like yours more crisp-tender. It's all in what you like! My kids eat this like candy!

Bananas Foster French Toast Bake

oh dear.

oh dear, dear, dear.

I was afraid something like this might happen. I neglected blog #2.

Well, that's okay. I have been busy on my little menu planning project. Don't think I forgot about it. I am tweaking and it will take me a bit to do so. Just thought you might like to know.

BUT it is STILL monday and I always have these HIGH hopes that I have these thematic little posts revolving around the days of the week. Who knows if I'll ever stick to that, but in case I do, I'm calling this MAKE THIS MONDAY. As in, you seriously need to make this recipe soon. It's so yummy.

I was inspired by the chica over at Whatever to make her Baked French Toast recipe. I was so inspired that I made it way back on May 1st and have been waiting for another opportunity to make it again.

BUT this time, I put my own little spin on it. I'm getting brave like that lately. Taking a recipe and craftitizing it. ooo. that sounded fancy.

So, I was inspired by the original and came up with my Bananas Foster Baked French Toast.

Smell = heavenly and honestly, it's all you need to smell to get you in the right mind frame for the day...

Taste = sugary and french toasty

Sight = when you see the caramelized sugar glistening in the morning light when you bring this hot breakfast treat over to the table, you'll thank me.

I'm so humble.

Here's how I made this...forgive the non-recipe looking format, I'm typing this from memory...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a 9x13 pan and put a stick of butter in it and pop it in the oven to melt. I prefer unsalted. You can use whatever you have in the fridge.

Measure out a cup of brown sugar and 2 tsp. of ground cinnamon.

Slice up 3-4 bananas- depending on the size of the banana and your need to get rid of some over-ripe nanas (but never toss them! throw them in the freezer till you have some time to make banana bread or mexican monkey cake).

Okay, now that the butter is melted, throw in the brown sugar and the cinnamon. Shmush it all around and mix it all up and then even it out on the bottom of the dish. Now scatter your bananas on top of the sugar mixture. Here's where you can take this to the bananas foster level and add a few dashes (like 1 tsp) of rum extract or dark rum! I went without this option as I thought of it after this concoction came out of the oven. I couldn't wait till I tweaked all the ingredients before I shared it with you... so maybe I'll revise at a later date!

Take one loaf of bread- I used

a cinnamon loaf and it was great! I sliced mine thinly as you'll want to shoot for 3 layers of the bread. Lay the bread slices on top of the banana/sugar mixture- turning the bread to get a good even layering without too many holes. You can tear up a few slices to fill in the holes, too.

Now for the custard:

6 eggs
2 cups of milk
1-2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

whisk that all together and slowly pour it over your bread. You want it to soak in and get into all the nooks and crannies.

Pop it all in the oven at 350 for 30-35 minutes. You want to make sure the custard is cooked and not goopy.

As an optional step (and this was part of the original recipe, but you can take it or leave it)- drizzle maple syrup (the real stuff) over the top of the french toast after it's baked and broil it for a few minutes. Until bubbly. Watch out though it happens FAST!

I got about 12 servings out of this-or 6 BIG servings. Perfect with fresh fruit over the top!