Week 7: Orzo with Tomato and Kale

Source: Cooking Light, October 2012

Overall Impression: "Ok, that's delicious" (direct quote from Jordan)
It was ... a perfect weeknight meal.  Easy, fast, yummy and leftovers!  I think this will be a new favorite around here.

Orzo with Tomato and Kale
Time = 30 min
Servings = 8

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs

1/2 large yellow onion*

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

sea salt

fresh cracked black pepper

8 cups water

16 oz orzo*

2 large tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cup frozen kale, thawed*

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Use kitchen shears to cut chicken into bite size pieced; cut directly into the skillet.  Chop the onion and add to skillet.  Season with garlic powder, salt and black pepper.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add orzo and boil for 8 minutes or until desired consistency.

While the orzo is cooking, chop tomatoes.  Add to chicken along with tomato paste, kale and basil - stir.  When orzo is done, drain and add to the skillet.  Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.

Stir in feta cheese.  Serve with Parmesan cheese for sprinkling.

*Notes

In my world, 99% of pasta dishes should have onion (and garlic).  The original recipe didn't call for it, so I added onion and I'm glad I did.  Provided some good flavor.

Orzo, for those who don't know, is rice-shaped pasta.  Jordan was skeptical that it was really, truly pasta until she took a bite.  Also, the original recipe called for 12 oz of orzo, but at the store all the bags and boxes of orzo were 16 oz (which equals one pound).  So that is what I used.

The original recipe called for fresh spinach.  I had forgotten to get spinach at the store but I did have frozen kale.  So I thawed it out.  I'm not sure anyone would know the difference.

Week 6: Butternut Mac-n-Cheese

Source: Cooking Light, September 2011

Overall Impression: Healthy but too much work
It was ... not really mac-n-cheese.  If you didn't know that is what it was suppose to be, then it'd be good - rich and creamy with a distinct butternut flavor.  But it was a lot of work and Jordan didn't like it, so I don't think I'll make it again.

Butternut Mac-n-Cheese
Time = 1 hr 20 min
Servings = 8

Ingredients: 

1 lb butternut squash

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 pint chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 1/2 c 1% milk

1/2 c plain Greek yogurt

1 lb whole wheat macaroni noodles

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1 cup grated Romano cheese

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

olive oil in a spray bottle

1/4 cup fresh snipped chives

Directions

Peel butternut squash and remove the seeds (see picture below).  Cut into 1" cubes.  In a large pot, pour in chicken broth and milk.  Add butternut and garlic.  Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce to medium and simmer for 20-25 min or until squash is soft.

When there is about 10 minutes left on the squash, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add macaroni noodles.  Boil for 7-9 minutes or until noodles are done.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

While the noodles cook, make the sauce.  The original directions say to place butternut sauce in a blender.  But that was very messy (see picture below). I suggest using an immersion blender to make a nice smooth sauce.  While the sauce is still hot, stir in yogurt, all cheeses, salt and pepper.  Keep stirring until cheese is melted.

Spray a 9x13" glass baking dish with olive oil.  Drain the noodles and pour into the baking dish.  Add cheese sauce.  Mix thoroughly.  It will seem soupy, but it thickens up in the oven.

Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.  (The original directions added some bread crumbs before baking.  I skipped this because the noodles are enough wheat for me.)

Sprinkle with chives right before serving.

Butternut peeled and seeded

Messy, messy

Tip: Chicken Thighs are Cheap

Cheaper than chicken breasts anyway.  The ones in the picture were $2/lb less than the same brand chicken breasts and both were boneless and skinless.  In any recipe, you can replace one breast with two thighs and save some cash.  Once they are mixed into pad thai, chicken fried rice, curry, soup, etc. no one will even know.

Week 5: Broccoli Beef

Source: Cooking Light, March 2011
Overall Impression: Good weeknight meal
It was ... not as fast as they claimed, but still a quick dish and both the hubby and daughter liked.  Down side is that it only makes 4 servings, so no leftovers.

Broccoli Beef
Time = 30 min
Servings = 4

Ingredients:
2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup uncooked white rice
2 tablespoons dry sherry, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
1 - 1 1/2 lbs stew meat*
3/4 cup water, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 green onions, sliced, whites and greens separated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon bottled fresh ginger
4 cups broccoli florets

Directions:
In a sauce plan, bring 2 cups water and salt to boil.  Add rice, cover and simmer on low while you prepare the broccoli beef.

In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 table spoon soy sauce, sugar and beef together.  Let sit.

In another small bowl, mix remaining sherry and soy sauce with 1/2 cup water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce and chili sauce.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add green onion whites (scallions) and saute for 1 minute.  Add garlic and ginger; saute for 1 minute.  Add broccoli florets.  Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in beef and juices.  Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.  Remove lid and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and green parts of the green onions.  Keep stirring until you reach your desired consistency.  Serve over rice.

* You can use any beef.  Just cut it to bite-sized pieces before adding to the marinade.

Tip: Getting Organized

If you have bizzillions of clipped recipes, like I do, then organization is key to staying sane.  Today I took the stack of recipes from my desk and
1)  divided into topics - dinner, sides, breakfast, desserts, drinks and snacks
2)  slid two sheets into protective sleeves
3)  put all into a 3-ring binder with dividers

This is my third 3-ring binder of clipped recipes.  And I went through two magazines today and tore out a few more.  So, maybe "staying sane" is a loosing battle for me ;-)

Week 4: Basil Bowties

Jordan came home from a trip to the lake with her grandparents toting a binder of recipes.  She was so excite to show them all to me and decide which we would make first.  As she read them out loud, she came to "Bazee Bow-tee's."  I said "What!?" and looked over to read the page upside down, "That would be Basil Bowties."  Cute!

Source: Adapted from Rachael Ray
Overall Impression: So fast! Yummy!
It was ... surprisingly full-flavored for a dish with so few ingredients.  Took just a few minutes to make and the whole family loved it.  But the basil leaves discolored, so it wasn't very pretty on day two.

Basil Bowties
Time = 20 min
Servings = 10 (side dish)

Ingredients
1 lb mini bowtie pasta
3/4 c pine nuts
spray olive oil
sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to tast
Parmesan cheese, grated for sprinkling

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and simmer until al dente.  Drain.

Spread the pine nuts on a cookie sheet.  Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Toast by putting in oven with the broiler on.  When they start to brown (about 5 minutes), shake around and toast until most are brown.  Set to side to cool.

In a large serving bowl, mix cooked pasta, 1/4 cup olive oil, cottage cheese, basil leaves, cherry tomatoes and salt/pepper.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Note - I suggest serving with grilled chicken.  Start the chicken at the same time as the pasta and it should be done about the same time.

Week 3: Chocolate Cola Cake

Source: May Falum
Overall impression: Very Moist & Crowd Pleaser
It was ... a great choice for my mother-in-law who just retired from many years with a Pepsi distributing company.  However, it wasn't very chocolaty so I may add chocolate chips next time.


Chocolate Pepsi Cola Cake
Time = 1 hour
Servings = 12

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, not packed*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/4 cup unsweetened coca powder
1 cup Pepsi cola
1/2 c buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugars, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.

In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and whisk in coca powder, Pepsi and buttermilk.  Pour into the flour mixture.  Stir until completely combined.

Add eggs and vanilla - stir in.

Grease and flour two round cake tins (see picture below).  Pour half the batter into each tin and place in oven.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove to a baking rack to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the tins.  Frost (I didn't make the glaze in the original recipe, I just used basic vanilla frosting.)

*The original recipe called for 2 cups of white, granulated sugar but I only had 1 cup left.  So I decided to do one cup white and one cup brown sugar.  It turned out very yummy!

Here is the butter and the cola melting together.  I used a whisk to keep it all from burning to the bottom of the pan and to mix in the coca powder.

To keep the cake from sticking to the tins: 1) use a paper towel to apply a coating of shortening to the bottom and edges of the tin; 2)  put a couple tablespoons of flour in each tin; and 3) tip the tin to move the flour around all surface.  Do this last step over the sink because you'll probably spills some (I always do.)

There are some really talented cake decorators our there ... I am not one of them.  I can't even make decent frosting.  This is one place where I don't go from scratch, I go to the store.  Basic vanilla frosting and pre-made little letters.