Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sickies
We have had a bit of the sickies going around. That means we have eaten a lot of frozen pizza, Mac&cheese from a box, and spaghetti. Oh yes, its exciting times around here. Thank goodness I am gonna get some more food in the freezer. We have almost used up the food from my cooking day in December. Plus, what is remaining are things not loved by the establishment (as in my husband). I gotta find me some good Chinese food freezer meals. I guess that will be my goal for the weekend when I might have time to do things. You know, other than the middle of the night after feeding the baby.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Chicken cabbage stir fry
More chicken. I must be in an eating slump. I mean, I have a theme! Anyway, cabage has been on sale, and bok choy (also called Chinese cabbage) is great in this dish, but I have made it plenty of times with regular green cabbage. In fact, the first time I made it, I used cole slaw mix that I had forgotten about. Poor cabbage.
2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 head of cabbage or coleslaw mix
2 tsp canola or vegetable oil (not olive oil, it needs to get hot)
1-2 tsp fish sauce (clear stinky sauce on the Asian aisle of most large supermarkets)
1 Tbs soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Shred the cabbage. For the truly lazy, buy coleslaw mix. I prefer the slaw mix since I never know what to do with the other half of the cabbage.
Heat the a wok or large skillet on medium high. Add the canola oil and warm it. Then dump in the cabbage. Toss it around with tongs until the colors get nice and bright and the cabbage softens.
Add in the fish sauce and stir the whole mess around. Open the windows cause this stuff is fragrant and the husband will start complaining about dinner not being 'good.' Once the cabbage starts getting browned bits on it, add the chicken and soy sauce and heat them through. *For those that like the heat try adding sriracha sauce, its a garlic-y hot sauce.*
I always eat my stir frys with rice. Its the Asian in me. No, I am not really Asian, just adopted by a college roommate's family. She would encourage me to use pork loin instead of chicken. I would probably agree to if I didn't have so much chicken in the house.
2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 head of cabbage or coleslaw mix
2 tsp canola or vegetable oil (not olive oil, it needs to get hot)
1-2 tsp fish sauce (clear stinky sauce on the Asian aisle of most large supermarkets)
1 Tbs soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Shred the cabbage. For the truly lazy, buy coleslaw mix. I prefer the slaw mix since I never know what to do with the other half of the cabbage.
Heat the a wok or large skillet on medium high. Add the canola oil and warm it. Then dump in the cabbage. Toss it around with tongs until the colors get nice and bright and the cabbage softens.
Add in the fish sauce and stir the whole mess around. Open the windows cause this stuff is fragrant and the husband will start complaining about dinner not being 'good.' Once the cabbage starts getting browned bits on it, add the chicken and soy sauce and heat them through. *For those that like the heat try adding sriracha sauce, its a garlic-y hot sauce.*
I always eat my stir frys with rice. Its the Asian in me. No, I am not really Asian, just adopted by a college roommate's family. She would encourage me to use pork loin instead of chicken. I would probably agree to if I didn't have so much chicken in the house.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Guh, guh, guh Garden!
So on Valentine's Day we had a nice romantic evening...ordering seeds on the internet. Yes, we are THAT romantic. Anyway, we ordered from Baker Creek cause I wanted to try some hierloom stuff and I figured Missouri was local (well as local as you can get when ordering seeds on the internet).
I was going to actually inventory the seeds, but apparently its bedtime and someone is whining that the light is on. Little whiner. I will do the inventory and the plan for the squarefoot garden, as well as my container plants soon. I love to dream of the non-frozen Tundra.
The seeds arrived THREE days after we ordered. With Monday being a holiday, I say these people ROCK. Now if only it would get warm enough that I feel ok dragging the kids outside. Oh, and I will have to want to be outside too.
March 1st I will be planting our sugar snap peas. Yes it will still be cold, but pea seeds don't care. They germinate when it warms up. Oh, and March 1st isn't a promise. I have a 6 week old and a 2 year old. Plus with my luck it will be snowing that day. As soon as i can work the soil I will be out there encouraging the toddler to run in circles and wear herself out. I need me some dirt therapy.
*now back to your regularly scheduled program*
PS, Baker Creek, if you want to show us the love and give us things we don't mind. For any readers out there...we didn't get any compensation from Baker Creek since they only know me as an order of random seeds made over the weekend. But I might be one of the few people that are planting beet seeds, so perhaps they do know me.
I was going to actually inventory the seeds, but apparently its bedtime and someone is whining that the light is on. Little whiner. I will do the inventory and the plan for the squarefoot garden, as well as my container plants soon. I love to dream of the non-frozen Tundra.
The seeds arrived THREE days after we ordered. With Monday being a holiday, I say these people ROCK. Now if only it would get warm enough that I feel ok dragging the kids outside. Oh, and I will have to want to be outside too.
March 1st I will be planting our sugar snap peas. Yes it will still be cold, but pea seeds don't care. They germinate when it warms up. Oh, and March 1st isn't a promise. I have a 6 week old and a 2 year old. Plus with my luck it will be snowing that day. As soon as i can work the soil I will be out there encouraging the toddler to run in circles and wear herself out. I need me some dirt therapy.
*now back to your regularly scheduled program*
PS, Baker Creek, if you want to show us the love and give us things we don't mind. For any readers out there...we didn't get any compensation from Baker Creek since they only know me as an order of random seeds made over the weekend. But I might be one of the few people that are planting beet seeds, so perhaps they do know me.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Chicken Farmer's Pie
I know, strange name. Its really what happened one night when I had cooked a bunch of chicken breasts and wanted something that could work in the freezer. Thus Chicken Farmer's Pie was born. Its not really a pie, but that's ok.
1 - 1.5 lb cooked cubed chicken breasts (2-3 cups if that helps)
1 (16 oz) bag of frozen broccoli
1 (10 oz) cream of broccoli soup
4 cups cooked mashed potatoes
Paprika to garnish
2 T butter, optional
Mix the chicken, frozen broccoli, and cream of mushroom soup together. I find cream of broccoli soup to be extremely stinky, and almost pitched the whole thing then, but decided to hope for the best.
Put into a 9x13 pan. Top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle paprika on top.
Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes until hot and the potatoes and paprika start to brown.
Add a couple of table spoons of butter to the top, if desired, right out of the oven to melt.
To make for the freezer. Don't bake it. Cover and freeze.
To serve: Thaw. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes (it takes longer chilled than when you make it room temperature).
Verdict: Strange, but good. Go figure. Awfully white on the plate though.
1 - 1.5 lb cooked cubed chicken breasts (2-3 cups if that helps)
1 (16 oz) bag of frozen broccoli
1 (10 oz) cream of broccoli soup
4 cups cooked mashed potatoes
Paprika to garnish
2 T butter, optional
Mix the chicken, frozen broccoli, and cream of mushroom soup together. I find cream of broccoli soup to be extremely stinky, and almost pitched the whole thing then, but decided to hope for the best.
Put into a 9x13 pan. Top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle paprika on top.
Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes until hot and the potatoes and paprika start to brown.
Add a couple of table spoons of butter to the top, if desired, right out of the oven to melt.
To make for the freezer. Don't bake it. Cover and freeze.
To serve: Thaw. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes (it takes longer chilled than when you make it room temperature).
Verdict: Strange, but good. Go figure. Awfully white on the plate though.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Marinated Asparagus
Its just about time for asparagus to be in season. There is a local pick your own farm that we went to last year in April/early May. Yum, asparagus. Way better fresh than canned.
From All You magazine, November 2004
Serves 6, about 5 spears each
2 lb fresh asparagus
2 T olive oil
1 t sugar
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1. Snap off woody ends. Place asparagus in enough water to cover. Boil for 3 minutes or until tender crisp and drain.
2. Plunge asparagus in ice water. Arrange in a 9x13 baking dish.
3. Wish together olive oil, sugar, vinegar, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Drain before serving.
From All You magazine, November 2004
Serves 6, about 5 spears each
2 lb fresh asparagus
2 T olive oil
1 t sugar
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1. Snap off woody ends. Place asparagus in enough water to cover. Boil for 3 minutes or until tender crisp and drain.
2. Plunge asparagus in ice water. Arrange in a 9x13 baking dish.
3. Wish together olive oil, sugar, vinegar, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Drain before serving.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Menu Plan Monday 2/8
Monday
Breakfast: cereal, milk, potato ham pockets (from freezer)
Lunch: Chicken Noodle soup...from a can I am so original.
Dinner: Loose Meat tacos...which in our family is hamburger on tortillas with cheese (more toppings if you are the adventurous type)
Cooking ahead: 6 chicken breasts in the crockpot. Will make chicken tamale casserole and test is for OAMC freezer cooking.
Tuesday:
Breakfast: cold cereal for Alice, oatmeal for me
Lunch: chicken nuggets or strips or something, baby carrots, naval oranges
Dinner: stroganoff!
Wednesday
breakfast more cereal, gah those cheerios
Lunch: chicken tamale casserole from the freezer
Dinner: OAMC meal from the freezer
Thursday:
breakfast: who do I list this?
Lunch: mini meat loaf
Dinner: Fish sticks and fries
Friday
Lunch: tuna sandwiches
Dinner PIzza!
Breakfast: cereal, milk, potato ham pockets (from freezer)
Lunch: Chicken Noodle soup...from a can I am so original.
Dinner: Loose Meat tacos...which in our family is hamburger on tortillas with cheese (more toppings if you are the adventurous type)
Cooking ahead: 6 chicken breasts in the crockpot. Will make chicken tamale casserole and test is for OAMC freezer cooking.
Tuesday:
Breakfast: cold cereal for Alice, oatmeal for me
Lunch: chicken nuggets or strips or something, baby carrots, naval oranges
Dinner: stroganoff!
Wednesday
breakfast more cereal, gah those cheerios
Lunch: chicken tamale casserole from the freezer
Dinner: OAMC meal from the freezer
Thursday:
breakfast: who do I list this?
Lunch: mini meat loaf
Dinner: Fish sticks and fries
Friday
Lunch: tuna sandwiches
Dinner PIzza!
Just another Manic Monday
I hate Mondays. *sigh* But since its here, I will just deal.
I am working on purging a bunch of my old magazines and stuff that have recipes on them. As well as cookbooks that I never use. That means I will probably enter in some recipes. But if I can find the recipe on the magazine's website, I might just make a post that has links. Typing up a recipe takes a while.
Plus I am doing lots of purging, so I don't want to waste precious non-child time typing up recipes.
I also have to do some cooking to see if I can convert some recipes to freezer meals. Can you tell I have decided cooking is no fun? Well, I have. Maybe I need some more motivation or something. I don't even know if I like the name of this blog. Perhaps I will change it.
***WOW!****
I just realized I almost posted this to our family blog. Oopsies.
Anyway, I am off to pitch some more things...you know until the trash cans are stuffed.
I am working on purging a bunch of my old magazines and stuff that have recipes on them. As well as cookbooks that I never use. That means I will probably enter in some recipes. But if I can find the recipe on the magazine's website, I might just make a post that has links. Typing up a recipe takes a while.
Plus I am doing lots of purging, so I don't want to waste precious non-child time typing up recipes.
I also have to do some cooking to see if I can convert some recipes to freezer meals. Can you tell I have decided cooking is no fun? Well, I have. Maybe I need some more motivation or something. I don't even know if I like the name of this blog. Perhaps I will change it.
***WOW!****
I just realized I almost posted this to our family blog. Oopsies.
Anyway, I am off to pitch some more things...you know until the trash cans are stuffed.
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