Chicken & Sun Dried Tomato Salad

Made this yummy salad for a picnic today and wanted to share my secret.  Though, given the recipe's source, it's hardly a secret - I got it off the back of a packet of pasta.  Definitely an incentive to start looking at the back of packets.


Salad ingredients:
500g elbow pasta, cooked
2 cups shredded or chopped bbq chicken
100g rocket leaves
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 large ripe avocado, chopped

Dressing:
2/3 cup egg mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Tbsp seeded mustard
1/3 cup white wine mustard

Combine everything for the salad in a large bowl.

Mix dressing ingredients together then add to salad.

Best served immediately.

Garlic & Rosemary Chicken

For our women's end of year event at church this Friday, we have each been asked to bring a signature dish with copies of the recipe to contribute toward a cookbook - fun!  Here's one of my favourites, which can actually be made with any skin-on cut of chicken.  It leaves plenty of time in the middle to bathe the kids/check email/feed the baby and still produce a stress-free, flavourful dinner on the table with relatively little fuss.  I typically serve it with a combination dish of rice and spaghetti, and assorted seasonal vegetables.  My kids, for the record, love this dish and gobble it up everytime... need I say any more?

Garlic & Rosemary Chicken(serves 4)

8 chicken thigh cutlets
2 Tbsp plain flour
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 stalks fresh rosemary
1½ cups chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine

1.       Preheat oven to moderate.

2.       Toss chicken in combined flour, paprika and pepper; shake away excess flour mixture from chicken.

3.       Heat oil in large flameproof baking dish; cook chicken in batches, until browned all over.

4.       Return chicken to same dish with garlic, rosemary, stock and wine; bring to a boil.  Transfer dish to moderate oven; cook uncovered about 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

5.       Remove chicken from dish; cover to keep warm.  Cook pan juices in same dish over medium heat, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.  Divide chicken among serving plates, drizzle with sauce.  Serve with rice or pasta, and seasonal vegetables.

Curried Chicken & Zucchini Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium brown onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 cup rice

340g chicken breast fillets, sliced thinly (though it's probably a bit under 340g, I usually use one chicken breast)

2 cups water

1 litre chicken stock (veg stock works well too)

4 medium zucchini grated coarsely (I usually use 1 zucchini and 2 carrots for some variety)

Melt oil in large saucepan, cook onion and garlic until softened.

Add curry powder; cook stirring until mixture is fragrant.

Add rice and chicken; cook stirring 2 minutes.

Add water and stock; bring to a boil. Simmer covered, 10 minutes.

Add zucchini; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.


This recipe is from Jenny Martinez, so we can vouch for two different families that have enjoyed it! Obviously, measurements are in metric, so just adjust accordingly.

Homemade Granola Bars

OK, my kids don't love these, but I do! And maybe yours will like them. We eat so many "snackie" foods around here, that I thought these would be perfect. Plus, you can use leftover cereal, and throw together all variety of ingredients. Beware: If your peanut butter has any sugar in it, or if your cereal has any sweet pieces of fruit, these could come out rather on the sweet side with the amount of suggested honey. Adjust accordingly! I have to keep mine in the fridge or they crumble too easily.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

1/2 cup of honey

2/3 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of oats

2 cups of rice krispy cereal

raisins (however many you desire)

( I finely chopped a 1/2 cup of trail mix... yum! the nuts and hint of chocolate you can't go wrong with!)

Put the honey in a medium size pot and put it on low heat. Stir constantly. You want it to thin out and be melty but not to boil. When it gets to that point you can add in the peanut butter. Stir this until it gets really smooth. At that point turn of the heat and stir in your oats and rice cereal. Add the raisins or whatever dried fruit you would like. After everything is stirred together, lay out some parchment paper, dump everything out and form into a square. Let them harden up a little bit, cut them, put them in a storage container and put them in the refrigerator.

Asian Noodle Salad

Kayli made this once and I tried it and absolutely LOVED it and have been making it ever since. It is a recipe from Pioneer Woman. It does take a lot of chopping but certainly worth it. I substituted some veggies with what I had on hand and it was great.

Ingredients

• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
• ½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
• Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
• _____
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
• Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing

This is a super easy recipe from Giadia De Laurentis. I have paired it with some grilled veggies and good bread and you have an easy but very tasty dinner. It was a hit with Nathan as well.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed (I didn't have but I didn't miss it)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions

Whisk 1/3 cup of oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, fennel seeds, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a heavy-duty re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turning the chicken occasionally.

Meanwhile, blend the basil, garlic, lemon zest, remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Gradually blend in the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to plates. Drizzle the basil sauce over and serve.

sesame noodles

this recipe is adapted from pioneer woman's sesame noodles. it's super easy and a surprising hit with my boys. i followed her recipe but probably added a splash more of soy sauce and chile oil. oh and tons more garlic because we like to eat garlic practically raw here.

also, instead of adding green onions at the end, i topped the noodles with cut up cucumbers and carrots, to make a more "fresh summer" snack.

ingredients:

12 oz. noodles

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tbl sugar

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tble rice vineagar

3 tbl sesame oil

1/2 tsp hot chili oil

4 tbl canola oil (i used olive and it was fine)

prep:

whisk all ingredients together in a bowl (except noodles). toss over warm noodles. (i then allowed the noodles to cool and then topped with carrots/cucumbers)

hummus sandwich

this is a total no-brainer, but i didn't think of it until 6 months ago when nathan's buddy was snacking on it at the park. nathan's favorite is red pepper hummus, and slathered on toasted ezekiel bread with a side of avocados and carrot slices, it's a wonderfully easy and healthy meal!

you guys are probably like, "uh, duh grace." i promise my next post won't be about peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. but this has been such a hit for nathan (he says it's his favorite lunch!) that i felt compelled to share.

Poor Man's Enchiladas

We had left over Taco Soup (I've posted about that before). The question was, how to make something taste/feel a little different without wasting the food you already have in the fridge.

I also always wonder what to do with the small crunched up pieces of tortilla chips at the end of the bag that are too small to dip into the Guacamole. Well, this was a good meal that killed both of those birds with the same stone.

In the bottom of the Casserole Dish, I put a layer of a bunch of crushed up tortilla chips. You don't have to make them too fine, just crunch up the big chips a bit.

Then, I poured over the Taco Soup, which actually was more the consistency of chili and not soup.

Lastly, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 min. until the cheese is melted. Voila! Tastes very similar to enchiladas, and you can garnish it up with sour cream, avocado, diced green onion, olives, etc.

"Fruit on a stick"

I feel a bit lame posting this, since it's probably the most obvious, non-cooking recipe ever invented. But it satisfies my kids' culinary and creative needs, so perhaps it could be useful to share.

If the name doesn't give the game away, it's, well, fruit on a skewer, or as my daughter prefers to call it, 'fwoot on a stick'. My kids don't have any problem eating fruit, so I must have been in one of those desiring-extra-work-for-myself moods when I came up with this one, because it's a pretty constant demand now on the snack list. Thankfully, getting it onto the skewer only takes about a minute, so no biggie.





As for ingredients, you need a bamboo skewer and, well, whatever fruit you think you can get onto the skewer. I've used apples, oranges, mandarins, grapes, various berries (strawberries are especially great for their bright colour), pineapple, banana, kiwi fruit, pear... I did manage to get lychee on there once but only by peeling it really carefully so as to minimise tears in the flesh. Basically anything solid enough and able to be easily cut into rough cube shapes will work. I sometimes add a few cubes of cheese as well.




I haven't branched out beyond fruit, but have a feeling certain vegetables could be successful - perhaps some blanched carrot, fresh peas, cooked pumpkin cubes, leafy greens, steamed zucchini, cooked potato... As I see it, the biggest draw-back to using veggies is the fact you'd have to cook a lot of them in order for them to be edible and/or soft enough to get onto the stick, which brings them from the realm of quick snack and into the proper meal category. But for a creative twist on left-overs, might just be a hit. Will let you know...

Quinoa and Black Bean Chili

SO HEALTHY AND SO YUMMY! The toddler finished most of her bowl and gave it a "thumbs up." Then, she promptly started singing, "Where is Thumbkin?"

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute to release the flavors. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno pepper, chipotle pepper, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes, stir in the reserved quinoa and corn. Cook to reheat the corn for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro to serve.

Fruit Popsicles

When your strawberries haven't gone bad, but are a bit too shriveled to eat by themselves, make popsicles!!!

Chicken Souiza Cornbread Bake

Chicken Souiza Cornbread Bake (from Allrecipes.com)

Paul loved it, and Sosi even ate a few bites (though I don't think she was a big fan of the Green Chiles). After reading the reviews online, I made a few changes. Sorry, no time for pictures, as this is probably one of the last big meals I will cook at this house. Everything is getting sold tomorrow!

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup egg substitute I used 2 eggs
  
• 1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread mix
• 
  
• 2 1/3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons canned green chile peppers, chopped I used 3/4 of about a 5 oz. can
  
• 1 (4 ounce) jar chopped mushrooms, drained Didn't use
  
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat sour cream Used 1/2 cup plus 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Melt margarine in a small skillet over med-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender, 4 to 6 minutes; set aside. In a large bowl, combine corn, cream style corn, salt and eggs. Beat in muffin mix. Fold in cooked onion mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake the cornbread mixture for 10 minutes before adding the mixture from Step 3.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine chicken, green chiles, mushrooms, sour cream, salt and pepper. Spoon over corn mixture to within 1 inch from edge. Sprinkle top with cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

Shout Out

A "Shout Out" for Jenny's post on Sausage & Veggie rolls. They are sooooo easy and you can literally use anything you have on hand. Great for a potluck or playdate. I just made a mixture in the food processor, and they turned out super yummy!

Cooked potatoes
1/4 of a bag of defrosted sweet potato fries
1/2 of a bag of defrosted turkey meatballs from TJ's
a few scoops of spaghetti sauce
1 egg
1 pkg. Puff Pastry

birthday cake!

my first born turned three last week, which is just insane for me to process. to commemorate the anniversary when i officially became someone's mama, i decided to make my first tiered cake, and i wanted to use fondant icing because it looks cooler then frosting. but first, let it be known that i'm not a baker. i can barely even function in the kitchen (thank you rice cooker and toaster oven!). but i love me some martha stewart and i love to flip through cookbooks, so i thought that i could have a go at it. being the nerd that i am, i researched several how-to's, studied old recipes, and watched some reality cake shows for form and method.

it turns out that it was really fun and wasn't difficult at all. rather than posting the recipes i used, i'll just talk more about the procedure, so you guys can use your own favorite cake/batter recipes. (i don't have a lot of pictures of each step, as my hands were usual covered in shortening, flour, sugar, etc.)

let's start with the frosting first:

i used martha stewart's buttercream frosting recipe. it was simple enough and quick to make in the mixer.

then i made the cake:

i used a simple yellow cake recipe from cook's illustrated that i divided into 3 six inch pans. after i let them cool to room temperature, i leveled out the tops with a serrated knife. then i put a dallop of frosting in the center of the cardboard circle that i would place the cake on. this secures the first layer onto the cardboard (which helps when i'm layering on the frosting). then i slathered frosting on the top of the first layer, placed the second layer upside down (as in, the top that i leveled was now kissing the first layer), slathered frosting, and put on the third layer, also upside down. then i coated the cake with a "crumb coat," which is a thin layer of frosting all around the cake that picks up the crumbs. i put the cake in the fridge for an hour, so that the crumb coat could get sufficiently hard. then i frosted the entire cake.

and here's the fun part, the fondant:

initially i was just going to go the easy route and buy some premade fondant, but i was consistently reading that boxed fondant tastes horrible. so i found a good marshmallow fondant recipe and went with it. i made the fondant the night before i made the cake, because it needs some time to sit, like a dough. it was super fun to make, and was like play-dough for adults. i didn't add any coloring until the fondant had rested, and then i portioned out how much fondant i would need for the cake and the polka-dots and kneaded in the coloring. after you have your desired color, you roll it out (i used a non-stick roller, but if you want to use your wooden rolling pin, have lots of confectioner's sugar on hand, which acts like "flour" to keep the stickiness at bay. once you have your rolled out fondant, you lay it on top of the cake (the buttercream frosting acts like a glue), and smooth it out with your hands. then using a pairing knife, trim the bottom excess. i cut out the polka-dots and "pasted" then onto the cake, with water as the glue.

i made the cake the day before the party, and the great thing about fondant is that it seals the moisture of the cake inside, so when we celebrated, the cake still tasted fresh and moist. we ate the entire cake over the course of 3 days.

serious you guys, if i can make this cake, then you guys can make this cake, and probably much much better than i! but it was a lot of fun to create and there was that gratifying feeling of making something for my own child. i like to think that's why the cake tasted so yummy, and even mark who doesn't have a sweet tooth continued to snack on the cake in the following days. i'm looking forward to the next celebration where i can bake another cake!