I was on a food tear last week...
Made a meal plan, stuck to it,
shared them with neighbors,
and enjoyed some TASTY dishes!
Not sure why I did it...
Tom was out of town,
standing in front of the HEAT Armor trade show booth hawking his wares...
so it was just me and the kids...
Why bother to conjure up more than frozen nuggets,
tots and baby carrots?
Why make dinner when "Kids Eat Free Tuesdays"
are at the local pancake house?
I dunno.....just felt like it and it was fun...
Back at the ranch, it was a good week...
Nobody throwed up,
but Kate did come home from school early Friday with a tummy ache...
Cooking is my entertainment...
I like starting with a recipe or amending one
and ending up with delicious results...
Isn't it satisfying to see faces enjoying the flavors,
or requesting seconds?
Wow...I must be a mama...
living to feed my brood's stomachs...
Yikes!
Anyway, here is how the parade of meals went down...
First was Chicken Flautas, courtesy of Country Living Magazine...
I served them with all the fixings like lettuce, tomato, sour cream,
salsa and some boxed Mexican Rice...
The recipe makes a plethora of flautas,
so I took the bulk of them next door...
Chris has three kids, 16, 14 and 10 years old.
The 14 year old is 6'3" and wears size 14 shoes...
He is a big, hungry athlete...
His comment on the flautas was that I "cook with passion"...
Wow...
And this is why I cook...
The next night I made Pioneer Woman's
Spicy Stewed Beef with Cheddar Grits.
Oh, Mother of Jalapenos, it was hot!
But the creamy cheddar grits evened out the fire
and it was a comfort food extravaganza...
Sent some next door to happy raves...
My kids, not so much...
"Too picy..."
Day three of the cooking frenzy was
Grilled Chicken with Gazpacho Dressing, courtesy of Food Network Magazine
It was sort of a panzanella
meets gazpacho kind of thing...
What really sent it over the edge was the grilled bread,
cut into chunks...
I made the bread a couple of days earlier and, oh my, that did it...
If you make this recipe, make sure to get good, heavy crusty bread.
Cubed, toasted Wonder Bread is not going to cut it...
Regardless, this is one fantastic salad...
So then I jumped off the Pinterest ledge
and made this ridiculous dessert I keep seeing on the site...
It's a muffin tin, layered with cookie dough mix,
a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and then brownie mix on top...
Yeah, they are awesome,
but who really needs to eat that?
I made them four days ago
and three cupcakes are still sitting on the cooling rack.
Even my kids must think they are too rich...
Okay, so one sort of failure,
but then Tom finally came home from London,
tired and in serious need of an American Budweiser...
For a little TLC, I decided to make some good old fashioned
meat and potatoes for my man...
Hello, Ina!
She has a wonderful steak recipe, from her book, Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics,
made with Herbes de Provence.
Usually I slap a good amount of Montreal Steak seasoning on the beef,
just how Tommy likes it,
but I shook things up a bit...
Have you noticed how beef is not looking so good
in the grocery stores lately?
The cuts look thinner and yet the prices are crazy...
We buy steaks about as often as my kids offer to do chores,
but I wanted to splurge a little...
The Paulina Meat Market is meat nirvana...
I can count on one hand how many times I have been there as it is $$$.
But Paulina is the old school kind of butcher shop,
where the men wear paper hats, have worked there since Truman was in office
and who don't mess around...
You better know what you want, stat...
Kind of like the Soup Nazi....
Anyway, I bought two hanger steaks with authority
and beat it out of there before those voluptuous bone-in ribeyes
seduced me into buying them...
So I made French Bistro Steaks with Provencal Butter and Ina's matchstick potatoes.
The matchstick potatoes are rather time intensive,
but oh, so worth it.
Note: DO NOT put them in the oven to keep warm...
I did and burnt the whole lot...I almost cried.
Last on my culinary bender was Trisha Yearwood's Lemon Meringue Pie...
I haven't ever made this kind of pie
and haven't eaten many lemon meringues that are all that good, to be honest.
Usually the meringue is a tasteless, gooey topping
over a faintly lemon flavored gelatinous concoction...
Can I just tell you that my husband asked for seconds
and this happens about as often as he draws my bubble bath...
This pie is pure heaven...
I ain't been to the great beyond yet,
but for sure they are serving it after shuffleboard.
Oh, and I made butter...
Yeah, Pinterest again...
Can you believe we don't have a butter churn?
Right. Along with our covered wagon out back...
So, I wanted to show Kate how to make butter
in the old Kitchenaid...
Throw in some cream,
beat the living daylights out of it
and you get butter!
It was quick and fun, perfect for a six year old.
Okay, so I am not done yet...
Sunday Dinner...
Ina "talked" me into making her lemon roasted chicken over croutons,
green beans, a simple salad
and if the team is lucky, a Texas Sheet Cake...
We ate well last week and I have a plan for this week, too.
I won't bore you with that...
Why did I do it?
Makes me and my village happy, that's why. Enough said.
| Chicken Flautas |
- 1 (3-pound) rotisserie chicken
- 8 ounce(s) queso fresco, crumbled (about 2 cups)
- 1 2/3 cup(s) salsa verde, plus more for serving
- 4 cup(s) safflower or canola oil, for frying
- 16 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Directions
- Remove white and dark meat from chicken and shred, discarding bones and skin. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, 1 1/2 cups queso fresco, and salsa verde.
- Fit a baking
pan with a wire rack; set aside. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot fitted
with a deep-fry thermometer, heat oil (about 2 inches deep) over
mediumhigh heat to 325 degrees F. - Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place a tortilla on a clean
surface and spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture in a line down the
center. Roll tortilla up into a tight cylinder and insert a toothpick
through the center to secure. Repeat with remaining tortillas and
filling.
- Working in batches, deep-fry flautas until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully remove from oil, tilting flautas to drain excess oil. Place on wire rack in prepared pan, remove toothpicks, and transfer to oven to keep warm. Serve hot with salsa verde and remaining queso fresco.
Grilled Chicken Salad With Gazpacho Dressing
Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine
Ingredients
- Cooking spray, for the pan
- 1 pound chicken cutlets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices crusty bread
- 1 clove garlic, halved
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1/2 seedless cucumber, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 8 cups baby arugula (about 8 ounces)
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Directions
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat and
lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon
each salt and pepper. Grill until well marked and cooked through, 3 to 5
minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Add the bread to the pan and
grill until toasted, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and
rub with the garlic.
Make the dressing: Puree the olive oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons
water, half each of the cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and almonds, 1/2
teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a blender until smooth.Cut the chicken into strips. Tear the bread into bite-size pieces. Combine the arugula, chickpeas, chicken, bread and the remaining cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and almonds in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing, season with salt and pepper and toss. Divide among shallow bowls. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.
French Bistro Steaks with Provençal Butter
For the butter:
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
For the steaks:
4 teaspoons herbes de Provence
kosher salt and coarsely cracked black pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 hangar steaks, 8 to 10 ounces each
For the butter, put the garlic, capers, chives, thyme, zest, and pepper in the small bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until completely mixed. Transfer butter mixture to a piece of parchment paper and roll it into a log, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator
Matchstick Potatoes
Ingredients
- Peanut or canola oil
- 2 large oval Idaho potatoes, peeled
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour at least 1-inch of oil into a deep pot and heat it to 350 degrees F.
Slice the potatoes into thin matchsticks (1/8-inch thick) with a vegetable slicer or mandoline,
dropping them into a bowl of cold water as you cut. Drain the potatoes
and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Drop the potatoes in batches
into the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove
from the pot with a wire basket skimmer
or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place on a baking sheet,
sprinkle with salt, and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of
the potatoes.Sprinkle the potatoes with parsley, if desired, and serve hot.
Magic Lemon Meringue Pie
Serves 10
Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Filling Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
1 tsp grated lemon peel
3 large egg yolks
Meringue Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 325F.
2. Crust: Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a medium bowl until crumbs are moistened. Press mixture firmly over bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate; set aside.
3. Filling: Mix the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon peel and egg yolks in a large bowl. Pour the filling into prepared crust.
4. Meringue: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until soft peaks begin to form. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating just until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Do not overbeat.
5. Spoon meringue on pie to cover filling mounding it in center and spreading it to touch crust around entire edge to prevent meringue from “weeping”. Using back of spoon, swirl meringue decoratively. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the meringue browns slightly. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood
Lemon Chicken with Croutons, courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
- 1 (4 to 5-pound) roasting chicken
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- Good olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 cups (3/4-inch) bread cubes (1 baguette or round boule)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Directions
Take the giblets
out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat
and leftover pinfeathers. Toss the onion with a little olive oil in a
small roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the inside of
the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemons inside the chicken.
Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels, brush it with the
melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together
with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the
chicken.
Roast
for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut
between the leg and the thigh. Cover with foil and allow to sit at room
temperature for 15 minutes. (The onions may burn, but the flavor is good.)Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot. Lower the heat to medium-low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 to
10 minutes. Add more olive oil, as needed, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the croutons on a serving platter. Slice the chicken and place it, plus all the pan juices, over the croutons. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm.
Texas Sheet Cake
Bring to a boil:
4T Cocoa powder
1/2 C Shortening
1 Stick Butter
1 C water
In a mixing bowl, combine:
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Stir flour mixture and cocoa mixture together:
Add:
1 C buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
Pour cake batter into a greased and floured 2 inch baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 40 min.
Icing:
Bring to a boil:
4 T cocoa powder
6 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
Spread on warm cake
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