There is nothing like the aroma of fresh bread wafting through the house to stir up feelings of home and comfort. I love fresh bread. I used to work in a bread bakery and every morning enjoyed some hot and fresh out of the oven. It was amazing. I’m all about a hand rolled and kneaded loaf of bread but I see nothing wrong with dumping ingredients in a bread machine and walking away, only to return four hours later to a steaming hot loaf of delicious, wholesome bread. Oh delight! I often use our bread maker to add something special to our dinner meal. Even better, I will use the timer function so we get the pleasure of waking in the morning to the smell of bread baking. Can’t beat that!
Here are the two main recipes I use. The seven grain bread is the one I use most often but occasionally I will treat us to a loaf of white.
Seven Grain Bread
Follow your manufacturer’s instructions as to which order to place the ingredients in the pan. The order I put here is the order I do it in mine.
1 2/3 cup lukewarm water
3 Tbsp skim milk powder
2 Tbsp applesauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
2 ½ cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup 7 grain mix
1 ½ tsp yeast
I actually put a little extra whole wheat flour in the mix. I use 2 cups of white and 1 ½ cups whole wheat. I tried to put more than that but found the loaf was too dense and didn’t raise well at all.
White Bread
Again, follow your manufacturer's directions.
1 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 Tbsp skim milk powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp applesauce
3 ¾ cup white flour
1 tsp yeast
Herb Bread
Remember the spaghetti dinner I was making for guests last weekend? I decided to make an herb bread to go with it. It was delicious! It still simply involved putting ingredients in the bread machine and forgetting about it. If you are interested, click here to get to the recipe.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Housewife Hospitality
I’ve only had the pleasure of being a housewife/stay at home mom for nine months now. One thing I love about it is that I’m available. I am conveniently at home and able to accomplish so many things that I couldn’t do when I was working full time.
Previously, when we had company coming from out of town, I did the best I could to get the house ready and make nice food. Working eight hours a day outside the home definitely hindered that, however.
This weekend we have friends coming to visit and I am so excited! While our home is ever so humble, (they have to sleep on a mattress in the baby’s room while baby bunks in with us), I have had fun washing bedding, making their bed, cleaning bathrooms and getting things ready. I thought I would share with you the plans I have for food this weekend (since that seems to be what this blog is all about, now isn’t it?)
I need to prepare two breakfasts, maybe a lunch or two, snacks, treats and only one dinner since we have the pleasure of going out for one of our meals.
I decided we will have a classic bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast one morning and the second morning fresh banana muffins and strawberry orange Julius drinks.
I am going to make spaghetti, Caesar salad, and fresh bread for dinner. For lunches we have fresh buns and bread and deli meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese and crackers. To snack on I’m going to make a big bowl of my homemade salsa (you remember that one, right?!) with tortilla chips. For treats, last night I whipped up a batch of Mars Bar Squares to keep in the fridge and for dessert after dinner tonight I am making a pecan caramel ice cream dessert.
How good does that sound? I am having so much fun planning and preparing everything. It is so nice to be home all day able to do this kind of thing. I’ve been carrying the baby around in my backpack carrier as I get things done. Poor thing is teething and cranky but I still can’t complain, I’m so happy to be home with her!
I want to share some of the recipes I’m making with you. To start, I’ll share one of my favorite treats: Mars Bar Squares. I’m sorry; they are not at all healthy for you! They are very yummy and I’m sure over the years my mom has been asked for this recipe 100 times! Enjoy!
Mars Bar Squares
Ingredients
½ cup butter
4 Mars Bar Squares, chopped
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup butter
Melt ½ cup butter and Mars bars in the microwave. Stir in Rice Krispies and pat into a 9x9 inch baking pan. Melt chocolate chips and ¼ cup butter. Spread over Rice Krispies base. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.
How easy was that?
I’ll also share my recipe for banana muffins.
Combine in bowl:
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Beat together:
1 egg
1 ½ cups mashed banana
½ cup melted butter
Add wet to dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Add ¾ cup chopped nuts if you desire. Fill muffin tins (greased or lined) ¾ full. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly touched.
These are so delicious. To make them healthier, I replace half the white flour with whole wheat flour. You can replace the butter with unsweetened applesauce also.
I am serving these with some orange Julius type drinks. I don’t have measurements but here is the basic idea. I put a can of frozen orange juice concentrate in the blender with some ice cubes, milk, vanilla, chopped strawberries, and powdered sugar. They are cool and creamy and really yummy at breakfast. They are also good without strawberries for a plain orange flavor or even better with sweet raspberries.
Soon, I am going to post two of the recipes for fresh bread that I make in my bread maker.
Have a great weekend!
Previously, when we had company coming from out of town, I did the best I could to get the house ready and make nice food. Working eight hours a day outside the home definitely hindered that, however.
This weekend we have friends coming to visit and I am so excited! While our home is ever so humble, (they have to sleep on a mattress in the baby’s room while baby bunks in with us), I have had fun washing bedding, making their bed, cleaning bathrooms and getting things ready. I thought I would share with you the plans I have for food this weekend (since that seems to be what this blog is all about, now isn’t it?)
I need to prepare two breakfasts, maybe a lunch or two, snacks, treats and only one dinner since we have the pleasure of going out for one of our meals.
I decided we will have a classic bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast one morning and the second morning fresh banana muffins and strawberry orange Julius drinks.
I am going to make spaghetti, Caesar salad, and fresh bread for dinner. For lunches we have fresh buns and bread and deli meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese and crackers. To snack on I’m going to make a big bowl of my homemade salsa (you remember that one, right?!) with tortilla chips. For treats, last night I whipped up a batch of Mars Bar Squares to keep in the fridge and for dessert after dinner tonight I am making a pecan caramel ice cream dessert.
How good does that sound? I am having so much fun planning and preparing everything. It is so nice to be home all day able to do this kind of thing. I’ve been carrying the baby around in my backpack carrier as I get things done. Poor thing is teething and cranky but I still can’t complain, I’m so happy to be home with her!
I want to share some of the recipes I’m making with you. To start, I’ll share one of my favorite treats: Mars Bar Squares. I’m sorry; they are not at all healthy for you! They are very yummy and I’m sure over the years my mom has been asked for this recipe 100 times! Enjoy!
Mars Bar Squares
Ingredients
½ cup butter
4 Mars Bar Squares, chopped
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup butter
Melt ½ cup butter and Mars bars in the microwave. Stir in Rice Krispies and pat into a 9x9 inch baking pan. Melt chocolate chips and ¼ cup butter. Spread over Rice Krispies base. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.
How easy was that?
I’ll also share my recipe for banana muffins.
Combine in bowl:
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Beat together:
1 egg
1 ½ cups mashed banana
½ cup melted butter
Add wet to dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Add ¾ cup chopped nuts if you desire. Fill muffin tins (greased or lined) ¾ full. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly touched.
These are so delicious. To make them healthier, I replace half the white flour with whole wheat flour. You can replace the butter with unsweetened applesauce also.
I am serving these with some orange Julius type drinks. I don’t have measurements but here is the basic idea. I put a can of frozen orange juice concentrate in the blender with some ice cubes, milk, vanilla, chopped strawberries, and powdered sugar. They are cool and creamy and really yummy at breakfast. They are also good without strawberries for a plain orange flavor or even better with sweet raspberries.
Soon, I am going to post two of the recipes for fresh bread that I make in my bread maker.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Cilantro Chicken
Here is a yummy recipe my mother in law told me about recently. I have a bunch of cilantro at the moment so it was perfect to use some of that up. It was super easy and so delicious, even the baby loved it! I am going to rein myself in this time and try to write this as a more formal recipe. As per my usual method, I pretty much threw this together but these measurements might help a bit.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (I use boneless, skinless but any kind you like could work)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small yellow pepper, diced
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cups rice (I used a mix of brown and white)
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sautee onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add chicken breasts to pan and brown. Season with salt and pepper. Pour a small amount of the chicken broth into the pan to get all the flavor bits off the bottom. Pour everything into a large casserole dish. Add all vegetables, cilantro, rice, remaining chicken broth, bouillon and butter. Season with more salt and pepper if you like. Bake at 400 for about and hour or until chicken is cooked and rice is tender.
Wow, look at that… I took what was in my head and turned it into a recipe!
This was seriously yummy. But I have to be honest and tell you, I forgot to put the corn and peas in. I meant to and I think the dish would have been even better with them. I think the forgetfulness had something to do with the fact that my 9 month old just learned to crawl yesterday and was opening kitchen drawers and throwing dish towels all over the floor while I was cooking. What’s a mom to do?
Let me know what you think of this recipe (and don’t forget all of the veggies!)
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (I use boneless, skinless but any kind you like could work)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small yellow pepper, diced
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cups rice (I used a mix of brown and white)
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sautee onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add chicken breasts to pan and brown. Season with salt and pepper. Pour a small amount of the chicken broth into the pan to get all the flavor bits off the bottom. Pour everything into a large casserole dish. Add all vegetables, cilantro, rice, remaining chicken broth, bouillon and butter. Season with more salt and pepper if you like. Bake at 400 for about and hour or until chicken is cooked and rice is tender.
Wow, look at that… I took what was in my head and turned it into a recipe!
This was seriously yummy. But I have to be honest and tell you, I forgot to put the corn and peas in. I meant to and I think the dish would have been even better with them. I think the forgetfulness had something to do with the fact that my 9 month old just learned to crawl yesterday and was opening kitchen drawers and throwing dish towels all over the floor while I was cooking. What’s a mom to do?
Let me know what you think of this recipe (and don’t forget all of the veggies!)
Friday, July 17, 2009
Baby Bottom Beeswax Balm
Say that one 5 times fast!
This is a recipe my sister in law gave me for a natural diaper balm that is fine to use with cloth diapers. My niece has very sensitive skin and has gone through some pretty severe diaper rash. Apparently, this balm is great for her delicate skin.
1.5 ounces beeswax, grated (approximately ¾ cup)
1 cup olive oil
Herbs (optional)
3 Tablespoons or 2 teabags of chamomile
3 Tablespoons comfry
8 drops calendula oil
Or any other herbs that promote healing and smell nice
Directions:
Heat the olive oil, add the herbs (if using) and steep for a few minutes. If using loose herbs, strain loose bits out with a cheesecloth. Add grated beeswax and stir until melted. Pour into the containers you will use at the change table or in the diaper bag. Store any extra in a glass jar which can be kept in the fridge. When you are ready to refill, warm the balm in the microwave until melted and carefully pour into containers.
To use, scrape with the back of your thumb nail until you have about a thumb nail worth fluffed up. Use liberally to keep that bottom baby soft!
This is a recipe my sister in law gave me for a natural diaper balm that is fine to use with cloth diapers. My niece has very sensitive skin and has gone through some pretty severe diaper rash. Apparently, this balm is great for her delicate skin.
1.5 ounces beeswax, grated (approximately ¾ cup)
1 cup olive oil
Herbs (optional)
3 Tablespoons or 2 teabags of chamomile
3 Tablespoons comfry
8 drops calendula oil
Or any other herbs that promote healing and smell nice
Directions:
Heat the olive oil, add the herbs (if using) and steep for a few minutes. If using loose herbs, strain loose bits out with a cheesecloth. Add grated beeswax and stir until melted. Pour into the containers you will use at the change table or in the diaper bag. Store any extra in a glass jar which can be kept in the fridge. When you are ready to refill, warm the balm in the microwave until melted and carefully pour into containers.
To use, scrape with the back of your thumb nail until you have about a thumb nail worth fluffed up. Use liberally to keep that bottom baby soft!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Pork Burrito's and Fresh Salsa
Speaking of burritos…
I thought I would share our family’s burrito recipe. It is extremely easy to put together as long as you have a little time in the afternoon to let it simmer. You can make this with pork, chicken, or beef. We usually use pork chops or a small pork roast but I have done it with some tough cuts of beef also.
Place your meat of choice in a pot and pour in enough salsa (the store bought variety) to cover all the meat. Add a small amount of water to bring the liquid to about an inch over the meat. Cover the pot; bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is falling apart when you press a spoon into it. Towards the end of the cooking time, I add a handful or two of brown rice, and usually add some more water. Once the rice is done, I shred the meat with two forks and it’s finished! The flavor is so good and what can be easier than that?
I like to serve it on whole wheat tortillas (white for my husband!) with sautéed peppers and onions, corn, shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and fresh salsa. What…you don’t make your own salsa? Well, let me encourage you to try! It’s amazingly easy, healthy, and yummy!
I thought I would share our family’s burrito recipe. It is extremely easy to put together as long as you have a little time in the afternoon to let it simmer. You can make this with pork, chicken, or beef. We usually use pork chops or a small pork roast but I have done it with some tough cuts of beef also.
Place your meat of choice in a pot and pour in enough salsa (the store bought variety) to cover all the meat. Add a small amount of water to bring the liquid to about an inch over the meat. Cover the pot; bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is falling apart when you press a spoon into it. Towards the end of the cooking time, I add a handful or two of brown rice, and usually add some more water. Once the rice is done, I shred the meat with two forks and it’s finished! The flavor is so good and what can be easier than that?
I like to serve it on whole wheat tortillas (white for my husband!) with sautéed peppers and onions, corn, shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and fresh salsa. What…you don’t make your own salsa? Well, let me encourage you to try! It’s amazingly easy, healthy, and yummy!
Fresh Salsa 
4 medium sized tomatoes
½ a medium sized onion
1 Tbsp fresh, chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
Salt, to taste
Chop the tomatoes into 1 inch pieces and finely chop the onion. Combine in a bowl with the cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Refrigerate for an hour or longer before serving to let the flavor develop.
Sometimes, if I find it isn’t quite flavorful enough, I will add a spoonful or two of store bought salsa to give it a kick. I may add more cilantro, lime juice, or salt if necessary. You could also add finely chopped fresh jalapeno’s if you want a bit of spice. You can totally make it your own.
How easy was that? It is so refreshing. It tastes just like the salsa we ate at every meal at a resort in Mexico. I recommend eating it with tortilla chips while sitting outside on a summer day. Doesn’t that sound fantastic?
4 medium sized tomatoes
½ a medium sized onion
1 Tbsp fresh, chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
Salt, to taste
Chop the tomatoes into 1 inch pieces and finely chop the onion. Combine in a bowl with the cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Refrigerate for an hour or longer before serving to let the flavor develop.
Sometimes, if I find it isn’t quite flavorful enough, I will add a spoonful or two of store bought salsa to give it a kick. I may add more cilantro, lime juice, or salt if necessary. You could also add finely chopped fresh jalapeno’s if you want a bit of spice. You can totally make it your own.
How easy was that? It is so refreshing. It tastes just like the salsa we ate at every meal at a resort in Mexico. I recommend eating it with tortilla chips while sitting outside on a summer day. Doesn’t that sound fantastic?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos
I recently came across a recipe when browsing the blog Keeper of the Home (http://www.keeperofthehome.org/). It was something very different and I was so intrigued that I absolutely had to try it. I had never heard of sweet potato burritos before but let me tell you, they are completely, utterly, delectably delicious! Since I knew my sweet potato hating husband would never eat them, I decided to make them tonight when he would be away.
You can follow the link to the actual recipe, but I will tell you how I made them for myself. As usual, I used the recipe as a guide, and then did my own thing with it. You can find the recipe here: http://safewaycanada.allrecipes.com/Recipe/recipe.aspx?shop=1&nprid=13954&scale=12&metric=False
I didn’t have kidney beans, but happened to have a can of good old fashioned pork and beans in the pantry. I didn’t want the sweet sauce, so I rinsed about three quarters of the can. After sautéing onion and garlic in some olive oil, I added the beans to the pan and mashed them up as best I could with a wooden spoon. I added the water and let it simmer. I added soy sauce, cumin, chili powder and dry mustard powder (we don’t use prepared mustard). I omitted the cayenne but added some fresh, chopped cilantro. Truthfully, I didn’t measure anything. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, follow the recipe above!
Then, as the recipe says, I put some mashed sweet potato and the bean mixture onto whole wheat tortilla shells and sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese. I wrapped them burrito style and baked at 350 for 12 minutes. The amount of filling I made amounted to four burritos. Since I will be the only one eating them, I saved one for tomorrow and froze the other two. I simply wrapped them tightly in plastic wrap and sealed them in a freezer bag. Next time I am alone for dinner (by alone I mean with a baby who mashes up her food with her hands then rubs it in her hair) I can pop one of those in the oven and will have a delicious dinner!
I know, I know, this recipe sounds a bit strange. I thought so too which is why I just had to try it. I can’t even believe how scrumptious it was. If you like sweet potatoes and beans, you must give it a try! Let me know what you think!
You can follow the link to the actual recipe, but I will tell you how I made them for myself. As usual, I used the recipe as a guide, and then did my own thing with it. You can find the recipe here: http://safewaycanada.allrecipes.com/Recipe/recipe.aspx?shop=1&nprid=13954&scale=12&metric=False
I didn’t have kidney beans, but happened to have a can of good old fashioned pork and beans in the pantry. I didn’t want the sweet sauce, so I rinsed about three quarters of the can. After sautéing onion and garlic in some olive oil, I added the beans to the pan and mashed them up as best I could with a wooden spoon. I added the water and let it simmer. I added soy sauce, cumin, chili powder and dry mustard powder (we don’t use prepared mustard). I omitted the cayenne but added some fresh, chopped cilantro. Truthfully, I didn’t measure anything. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, follow the recipe above!
Then, as the recipe says, I put some mashed sweet potato and the bean mixture onto whole wheat tortilla shells and sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese. I wrapped them burrito style and baked at 350 for 12 minutes. The amount of filling I made amounted to four burritos. Since I will be the only one eating them, I saved one for tomorrow and froze the other two. I simply wrapped them tightly in plastic wrap and sealed them in a freezer bag. Next time I am alone for dinner (by alone I mean with a baby who mashes up her food with her hands then rubs it in her hair) I can pop one of those in the oven and will have a delicious dinner!
I know, I know, this recipe sounds a bit strange. I thought so too which is why I just had to try it. I can’t even believe how scrumptious it was. If you like sweet potatoes and beans, you must give it a try! Let me know what you think!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Slow Cooker Pork Chops
Well, as I mentioned before, I found a recipe for pork chops done in the slow cooker and gave them a try for dinner last night. They were pretty good! Here is the exact recipe which you can find the link to here : http://www.recipezaar.com/5-Ingredient-Chops-in-a-Crock-Pot-141847
6 whole pork chops (boneless or whatever you like)
1 whole onion, chopped
3 tablespoons ketchup
10 3/4 ounces 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Mix soup together with the chopped onions, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour 1/2 of the mixture in the bottom of the crock pot.
Place chops in the crock pot.
Cover with the remaining sauce mixture.
Cook on low 4-5 hours or until done.
Makes a lot of sauce which I served on a side of steamed rice
In my humble opinion, a recipe is just a guide to spark some culinary creativity. What I made was pretty much the same as above with a tweak here and there. I used half fat cream of chicken soup because that is what I had. I used boneless pork chops, extra Worcestershire sauce, fresh ground pepper, and garlic powder. It did make a lot of sauce, which was mild but flavorful. I knew that I had a very busy day ahead of me yesterday so I prepared this early and let it cook for 8 hours. The meat was so tender it fell apart on our forks and the flavor really permeated it. I served it with mashed potatoes, peas, and corn. It was a nice dinner and it tasted like something I spent hours on when really I barely did anything. My Crockpot did all the work…brilliant!
6 whole pork chops (boneless or whatever you like)
1 whole onion, chopped
3 tablespoons ketchup
10 3/4 ounces 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Mix soup together with the chopped onions, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour 1/2 of the mixture in the bottom of the crock pot.
Place chops in the crock pot.
Cover with the remaining sauce mixture.
Cook on low 4-5 hours or until done.
Makes a lot of sauce which I served on a side of steamed rice
In my humble opinion, a recipe is just a guide to spark some culinary creativity. What I made was pretty much the same as above with a tweak here and there. I used half fat cream of chicken soup because that is what I had. I used boneless pork chops, extra Worcestershire sauce, fresh ground pepper, and garlic powder. It did make a lot of sauce, which was mild but flavorful. I knew that I had a very busy day ahead of me yesterday so I prepared this early and let it cook for 8 hours. The meat was so tender it fell apart on our forks and the flavor really permeated it. I served it with mashed potatoes, peas, and corn. It was a nice dinner and it tasted like something I spent hours on when really I barely did anything. My Crockpot did all the work…brilliant!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Supercook
I thought I’d do a quick post tonight to recommend a fantastic recipe website to you. It’s called Super Cook and it is a recipe search engine. It is my lifesaver whenever I have an ingredient but have no idea what to do with it. Just enter your ingredient in the search engine and recipes will start popping up. It will ask you if you have other ingredients and as you click on them to add to your list, more recipes suited to your list will pop up. It is amazing! I have been using it a lot lately. Just now, I couldn’t think of what to do with some pork chops I have so I typed “pork chops” into the search, added some more ingredients and I now have a Crockpot recipe to try tomorrow! I’ll let you know how it goes.
I don’t know about you, but I go through phases of losing creativity in the kitchen. When I am totally uninspired, this website fans that creative spark and brings it back to a flame. Even if I don’t use a recipe, I end up at least getting ideas of things I can make up on my own. Give it a try, I’m sure you’ll love it! You’ll find it at www.supercook.com
I don’t know about you, but I go through phases of losing creativity in the kitchen. When I am totally uninspired, this website fans that creative spark and brings it back to a flame. Even if I don’t use a recipe, I end up at least getting ideas of things I can make up on my own. Give it a try, I’m sure you’ll love it! You’ll find it at www.supercook.com
Friday, July 3, 2009
Easy Chicken and Rice
Recently, my husband has started working more evenings than days, which leaves me and the baby on our own for dinner more often. I am trying not to fall into the sandwich trap even though it is so much easier to just eat a salad and sandwich for dinner. That is ok sometimes, but not day after day. A few nights ago I decided to throw something quick and healthy together with food I already had in my cupboards. It was a simple rice and chicken dish and the bonus was I could feed it to my little munchkin too!
I started some brown rice to cook in the rice cooker. I have a serious problem with burning rice. I have tried and failed to solve this problem so I have become completely dependent on my rice cooker. Anyway, before I take this rabbit trail too far…
While the rice was cooking, I took two chicken breasts out of the freezer and placed them in a pot of boiling water. I added chopped onion, carrot and celery and seasoned with some coarse salt. I also added barley which went really nicely with everything else. When everything was almost done, I added corn, peas, and green beans from my freezer. Once those were cooked, I drained the water, added the rice and shredded the chicken with two forks. That’s it! How easy does that sound?
I put some aside and whizzed it through the food processor with a bit of water for the baby. Once that was done, I added some butter, salt and pepper to mine and we had ourselves a lovely dinner. It was so simple and totally delicious.
There is something to be said for a very simple dinner. These days, I’m leaning more toward simplicity when it comes to cooking. It can be fun to fuss over a dish and make something really nice but lately I’ve been finding that the meals that seem the most plain have been tasting the best. Less time cooking and cleaning up equals more time playing with my baby and her daddy. Can’t argue with that!
I started some brown rice to cook in the rice cooker. I have a serious problem with burning rice. I have tried and failed to solve this problem so I have become completely dependent on my rice cooker. Anyway, before I take this rabbit trail too far…
While the rice was cooking, I took two chicken breasts out of the freezer and placed them in a pot of boiling water. I added chopped onion, carrot and celery and seasoned with some coarse salt. I also added barley which went really nicely with everything else. When everything was almost done, I added corn, peas, and green beans from my freezer. Once those were cooked, I drained the water, added the rice and shredded the chicken with two forks. That’s it! How easy does that sound?
I put some aside and whizzed it through the food processor with a bit of water for the baby. Once that was done, I added some butter, salt and pepper to mine and we had ourselves a lovely dinner. It was so simple and totally delicious.
There is something to be said for a very simple dinner. These days, I’m leaning more toward simplicity when it comes to cooking. It can be fun to fuss over a dish and make something really nice but lately I’ve been finding that the meals that seem the most plain have been tasting the best. Less time cooking and cleaning up equals more time playing with my baby and her daddy. Can’t argue with that!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Great Grandma's Oahu Chicken
As promised, here is the first of my Great Grandma’s recipes! I think it is so neat to try out meals that my family made three generations ago. I told my mom I was making this and she could remember her grandma making it. How cool is that? Someday my daughter will remember eating this dish that her Great-Great Grandmother made!
Tonight I tried her recipe for Oahu Chicken. It was delicious! My husband has already asked me to make it again and I am so looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow night for dinner. Here is the recipe, with a few minor adjustments made. The original recipe calls for ¼ cup of butter to brown the chicken in but I lightened it up and used about 1 ½ tablespoons. I dredged the chicken in whole wheat flour. I also added green peppers to the recipe because it just seemed as though they would fit…and I was right! It was a great flavor.
Oahu Chicken
3 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 8 oz can pineapple chunks
1 small green pepper, diced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
¾ cup chicken broth
Dredge chicken in flour. Melt butter in a large skillet and slowly brown the chicken.
Drain pineapple, reserving ½ cup of the juice. Mix pineapple juice with brown sugar, ginger, and a pinch of salt; add to chicken.
Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, and peppers to skillet. Stir well. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue simmering an additional 20 minutes.
I served this over brown rice with steamed carrots on the side. It was such a delicious dinner. Great Grandma would be proud!
Tonight I tried her recipe for Oahu Chicken. It was delicious! My husband has already asked me to make it again and I am so looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow night for dinner. Here is the recipe, with a few minor adjustments made. The original recipe calls for ¼ cup of butter to brown the chicken in but I lightened it up and used about 1 ½ tablespoons. I dredged the chicken in whole wheat flour. I also added green peppers to the recipe because it just seemed as though they would fit…and I was right! It was a great flavor.
Oahu Chicken
3 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 8 oz can pineapple chunks
1 small green pepper, diced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
¾ cup chicken broth
Dredge chicken in flour. Melt butter in a large skillet and slowly brown the chicken.
Drain pineapple, reserving ½ cup of the juice. Mix pineapple juice with brown sugar, ginger, and a pinch of salt; add to chicken.
Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, and peppers to skillet. Stir well. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue simmering an additional 20 minutes.
I served this over brown rice with steamed carrots on the side. It was such a delicious dinner. Great Grandma would be proud!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)