tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82857748848883531092024-03-05T10:33:16.492-05:00One Real Mom Really CooksI'm a pastor's wife, mom to three kids ages 2, 4, and 6, and the head cook in the family. I blog about what I serve my family to eat, and how I plan, shop for, and make our meals. We eat real food on a real budget. I value quality, nutrition, frugality, and convenience, approximately in that order, and my cooking reflects those values. Usually. Oh, and yumminess. I value yumminess maybe most of all.Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-68135315673680865542011-06-14T22:59:00.000-04:002011-06-14T22:59:58.343-04:00Dinner on the Road, Part II<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While we were visiting my new nephew and his family in New York, I took the opportunity to assuage my guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was born about seven weeks ago, but since we live so far apart, this was our first opportunity to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we lived closer, I would have brought a complete meal to his mommy, daddy, and big sister in the first week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s how I like to take care of new mommies and welcome new babies!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I didn’t get to bring them a meal right away, I decided I would cook a meal for them while we visited and give my sister-in-law a night off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know how much I always appreciated a night off, no matter how old my baby was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted something I could freeze and take along in a cooler, but finish cooking there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought about several casseroles, but I settled on a yummy recipe I got from <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/">Cook’s Country</a> last year and that has since gone into heavy rotation in my meal schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chicken Parmesan Roll-ups are a nice twist on Chicken Parm, which I make fairly often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This version is quick-cooking—another of their 30 Minute Meals—and has great flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, the recipe, then I’ll describe how I made it portable.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chicken Parmesan Roll-ups<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 3.7pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 578px;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">¼ <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=278"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">olive oil</span></a><i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">onion<i> , chopped fine</i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">garlic cloves<i> , minced</i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">½ <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup chopped fresh basil <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 ½ <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cups shredded mozzarella cheese<i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">½ <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=589"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">grated Parmesan cheese</span></a><i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">thin-cut, boneless, skinless chicken cutlets<i> , about 1 1/4 pounds</i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=61"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Salt and pepper</span></a><i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 20.02%;" valign="top" width="20%"> <div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">½ <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 77.42%;" valign="top" width="77%"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup panko bread crumbs<i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in half of basil. Transfer half of sauce to 8-inch square baking dish.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Combine mozzarella and Parmesan in medium bowl; reserve ½ cup. Add remaining basil to remaining cheese. Pat cutlets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Top cutlets with basil-cheese mixture, leaving 1-inch border at bottom of cutlets. Roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Toss bread crumbs with remaining oil in small bowl. Top chicken with reserved cheese, remaining sauce, and bread-crumb mixture. Bake until chicken is cooked through and crumbs are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I actually broke this recipe up into two stages since I was transporting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At home, I made the roll-ups first and froze them in two layers in a Tupperware freezer container.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I was feeding four adults and four kids, I roughly doubled the recipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t really measure the amount of chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got two large packages of fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into cutlets, getting about four good cutlets per breast, and there were two large breasts per package.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still not great at making chicken cutlets, so I had lots of trimmings that didn’t make it as roll-ups, but that was no problem—I used those for the <a href="http://realmomreallycooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/dinner-on-road.html">Chicken,Charred Tomato, and Broccoli Salad</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually I would just use thawed frozen chicken breasts, but I knew I wanted to freeze the roll-ups for traveling, so I had to start with fresh this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I can plan ahead well enough, I might stick with the fresh chicken for this recipe in the future, because they were easier to cut and pound than the thawed usually are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>To make a simple recipe even simpler, I skipped measuring mozzarella and parmesan and instead used the Italian blend shredded cheese from Aldi, which had both types of cheese in the blend anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chopped up a ton of fresh basil, stirred it into a large helping of cheese in a small mixing bowl, and started rolling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a wide variety of sizes of cutlets, but I figured that would work out since I would be serving a wide variety of sizes of diners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t particularly pretty, but here’s what I had to pop in the freezer the night before our trip:</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMsI7w9-Yrzo1ZLn_I2A8eNgmqyncCdxoj-Aho0W1rnYoroZvObITO4f8BJIW_RyFgrrcWciZzJlMfSJVCB1uxIhARp4wqulW3K-EgTwJ24go7ytX91SGLGR_bC1nXFv9LQhgm5EOrgm8/s1600/100_0910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMsI7w9-Yrzo1ZLn_I2A8eNgmqyncCdxoj-Aho0W1rnYoroZvObITO4f8BJIW_RyFgrrcWciZzJlMfSJVCB1uxIhARp4wqulW3K-EgTwJ24go7ytX91SGLGR_bC1nXFv9LQhgm5EOrgm8/s320/100_0910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The chicken traveled well buried in ice in the bottom of a cooler, and thawed in the fridge after we got to New York.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it was time to make dinner, I put together the sauce (I took all the ingredients with me, figuring that if we lived closer I wouldn’t have raided her kitchen to make dinner for them!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I roughly followed the recipe, adapting it slightly to double the amount of sauce and adding a bit here and there to make it more like the <a href="http://realmomreallycooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/last-minute-change-of-plans.html">Quick Tomato Sauce</a> I love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two recipes are pretty close to begin with, so it wasn’t much of a change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the sauce had a few minutes to bubble, I poured a bit in an 8x11 baking dish (I think, although I didn’t measure it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was smaller than 9x13.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In went the roll-ups, which packed in there pretty tightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQhx9E8ga99GouwVIZJFrafSNOZA2pf_8piIaB5uiMYQqQL2L9GEI72ZFIg17rcuQB_6vpl8bdl3IXJYGKoJOZ7Oem4KO6BbUwetBf2ZnGh93_7h_s9E2a3cywZTLZBbY9X4GN7i6hhgl/s1600/100_0914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQhx9E8ga99GouwVIZJFrafSNOZA2pf_8piIaB5uiMYQqQL2L9GEI72ZFIg17rcuQB_6vpl8bdl3IXJYGKoJOZ7Oem4KO6BbUwetBf2ZnGh93_7h_s9E2a3cywZTLZBbY9X4GN7i6hhgl/s320/100_0914.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next came the same Italian blend cheese I used for the filling:</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEzCae_ehHVqTeTOICo0RtGYAjBraGCfDTW8Lb4LJzh5yZomwF3avHYpJvuSxsdtoVlHe0j0hNQL75sejI8Pku7Kj1sn2TlbNUiwg86aaJAVmF0TGQvJVOnUEB1lgYELlBnswuF_sEwyU/s1600/100_0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEzCae_ehHVqTeTOICo0RtGYAjBraGCfDTW8Lb4LJzh5yZomwF3avHYpJvuSxsdtoVlHe0j0hNQL75sejI8Pku7Kj1sn2TlbNUiwg86aaJAVmF0TGQvJVOnUEB1lgYELlBnswuF_sEwyU/s320/100_0917.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No measuring--just keep sprinkling until it looks good</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And then the panko bread crumbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got these panko crumbs at a discount grocery to give them a try, and I like them, but before I found them I always just tossed some slightly stale bread in the food chopper and toasted it very lightly in the toaster oven, and the results were pretty much the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I’ll probably buy panko again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless Aldi has it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll try almost anything there once.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whoops!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I generously sprinkled on the panko, I realized that a layer of sauce was supposed to go under there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I briefly entertained the idea of pouring the sauce over the crumbs, but their crunch is an important part of the appeal of this dish, so I decided to bake it and serve the sauce on the side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twenty minutes later we had this:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfH37UQxpA7XAgiSNyoCzgAKv8IXnNjZuLJYdRRnHP3xFoviA_EHWMG8mAKYtfxCxBcc1UIn6CpARS96_DT-wk8SfMhePpGOjJDekk4E-A8_n8CmGjuMVl9njZBRgoE9vDNNj7uxRdFaml/s1600/100_0920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfH37UQxpA7XAgiSNyoCzgAKv8IXnNjZuLJYdRRnHP3xFoviA_EHWMG8mAKYtfxCxBcc1UIn6CpARS96_DT-wk8SfMhePpGOjJDekk4E-A8_n8CmGjuMVl9njZBRgoE9vDNNj7uxRdFaml/s320/100_0920.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And that’s the last picture I have of this dish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once it was on the table with sides of pasta, sauce, a green bean-wax bean-carrot blend, and a big bowl of Fluff for dessert, it was gone in a flash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It worked out fine without the sauce on top, although the sauce on the side was gone pretty fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should have more than doubled that to feed our hungry crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids and adults alike devoured it, and there was one little roll left for someone’s lunch the next day. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you’re making this, and you want to make it even quicker and you aren’t as fanatical about homemade sauce as I am, you can really streamline it by using a good jarred sauce instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an easy dish that’s impressive enough for potlucks or even a dinner party, but easy enough to make for a weeknight family dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you try it, let me know how it turns out for you!</span></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-32985052781624781632011-06-13T23:11:00.000-04:002011-06-13T23:11:14.472-04:00Dinner on the Road<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m back!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It feels like forever since I last posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rest assured I have not taken a vacation from cooking—my family still needs to eat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did take a little vacation last week though, to visit our new nephew and his family in New York, which is one of many reasons I haven’t been able to post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trip was a long one (about seven hours,) but it’s a beautiful drive and we had a lovely day to travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the summer, when we can, I like to pack a picnic for our big pit stop on long trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rev loves sandwiches, and so do I, but this time I wanted to do something a little different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to make a salad that has become a favorite of ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I first discovered this recipe on <a href="http://www.delish.com/">delish</a>, the food site that is featured on the <a href="http://msn.com/">msn.com</a> homepage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is insane how tasty it is, it’s not at all labor intensive, and it’s easy to make ahead before the day really heats up in the dog days of summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve tweaked the original recipe a good bit, and I’ll share those tweaks and some tips and tricks, but first here’s where I started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be intimidated by the length of the instructions; this is a true 30-minute meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first three steps take place pretty much simultaneously, and you can easily shred the chicken while the tomatoes cook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It probably took me less than 30 minutes to make it, since I’ve got the steps pretty much down.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_charred_tomato_broccoli_salad.html">Chicken, Charred Tomato & Broccoli Salad<o:p></o:p></a></span></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 ½ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, or 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (skip Step 1)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4 cups broccoli florets<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 ½ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pounds medium tomatoes<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teaspoon chili powder<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cup lemon juice<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<ol start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Place chicken in a skillet or saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, shred with two forks into bite-size pieces.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add broccoli and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile, core tomatoes and cut in half crosswise. Gently squeeze out seeds and discard. Set the tomatoes cut-side down on paper towels to drain for about 5 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Place a large heavy skillet, such as cast-iron, over high heat until very hot. Brush the cut sides of the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon oil and place cut-side down in the pan. Cook until charred and beginning to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the tops lightly with another <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 teaspoon oil, turn and cook until the skin is charred, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate to cool. Do not clean the pan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Stir in salt, pepper and chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Slowly pour in lemon juice (it may splatter), then remove the pan from the heat. Stir to scrape up any browned bits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coarsely chop the tomatoes and combine them in a large bowl with the shredded chicken, broccoli and the pan dressing; toss to coat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serve warm or at room temperature.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ol><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I promise you that you aren’t prepared for how delicious these simple flavors are when you marry them in this salad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But first you have to get past how it looks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="messagebody2"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Every time I make this, I pour the dressing from the pan and note that it looks like sludge, and I think, "Oh, crap, I screwed it up and it is going to suck this time." And every single time, I am amazed at how fabulous it tastes!</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOB8OoTaFLCGsans9VQMc2PLsIT_m41cAjKYFSYxojaoKBmAh0lG6C5klvWbckT8Xc03COc8JFC1ntoPdsw5QHe3XxSXE1bTLpgCTHKWJ3JqeCYRfHWD1C21Jf1GOw0vuiWCwMixkU5yHt/s1600/100_0874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOB8OoTaFLCGsans9VQMc2PLsIT_m41cAjKYFSYxojaoKBmAh0lG6C5klvWbckT8Xc03COc8JFC1ntoPdsw5QHe3XxSXE1bTLpgCTHKWJ3JqeCYRfHWD1C21Jf1GOw0vuiWCwMixkU5yHt/s320/100_0874.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dressing--it's not pretty, but the flavor is amazing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGaSzJUOItiBEVoAP450YFiAe5xuHoociFijZ11JyW9uaJ4PiPKX1ikTH3hWqovYFDxrE0Oxwig9cBY8h_ioS1-TUUyWv408UidFMRYOn40pwsOxq1OAC5pgtLz2CAGVvx3Be-JaqfT1r/s1600/100_0875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGaSzJUOItiBEVoAP450YFiAe5xuHoociFijZ11JyW9uaJ4PiPKX1ikTH3hWqovYFDxrE0Oxwig9cBY8h_ioS1-TUUyWv408UidFMRYOn40pwsOxq1OAC5pgtLz2CAGVvx3Be-JaqfT1r/s320/100_0875.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I coarsely chopped the tomatoes on the same platter where I shredded the chicken.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="messagebody2"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But what about those tweaks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For starters, I prefer to use Roma or plum tomatoes--they hold their form a little better for turning, and they fit in the pan better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cut them lengthwise and cut out the seeds and gel, but with Romas you still get plenty of flesh left behind for great tomato flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I use fresh broccoli florets because my family prefers fresh broccoli year-round and Aldi makes it affordable, but you could just as easily use a good-quality frozen broccoli (I wouldn’t use Aldi in that case, because I’ve found that their frozen broccoli is more stems than anything else.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just be sure not to over cook it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You want the broccoli to be just a little bit crisp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZcXw0HYWS73WJlOIaaXazjphB2xiBpCmyTwPSWsc9hJxpj9MFz7iBrJeeI_T1DTczkv6jXj-CxZAi3y0kSlfAswS2PFA3xZ8q7auDKNig4N8gcWpQwdF6AJs4m60rQLSwSVp2zpMFNt-/s1600/100_0873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZcXw0HYWS73WJlOIaaXazjphB2xiBpCmyTwPSWsc9hJxpj9MFz7iBrJeeI_T1DTczkv6jXj-CxZAi3y0kSlfAswS2PFA3xZ8q7auDKNig4N8gcWpQwdF6AJs4m60rQLSwSVp2zpMFNt-/s320/100_0873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomaotes smoking away in the cast-iron skillet</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for tips and tricks—one of the reasons I love this recipe is that I can forget to thaw the chicken (as I am known to do) and it still works just fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re poaching chicken breasts, you can drop the frozen pieces right in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That goes for any recipe that calls for poaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll just need to let them cook a bit longer—around 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You have to use a cast iron pan for this one, and it has to be HOT. As in, it should be actively smoking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put my gas burner on high and let it go for a couple of minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep in mind that cast iron holds the heat like crazy, so as soon as you get the tomatoes out, turn the heat way down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have an electric cooktop instead of gas, I would consider moving the pan to a new burner turned to medium for making the dressing, because electric burners hold the heat, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A silicone scraper is a must-have for getting the dressing and all the yummy bits out of the skillet without adding bits of melted scraper, too.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the recipe says the lemon juice "may" splatter, they are joking. It will DEFINITELY splatter. A LOT. You can (should) use a splatter screen, or if you don't have one (like I didn't) you can hold the lid from a large pan to protect yourself from the splatter. Either way, you'll be cleaning up a lot of grease from your stovetop, but it is worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And either way, I‘d recommend wearing either a potholder that covers at least to your wrist, or a rubber glove to protect the hand you use to stir the dressing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I make this recipe at home, I like to make <span class="messagebody2"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Rachel Ray's Zucchini and Spaghetti on the side, but for the picnic I wanted something that could travel and would compliment the flavors of the salad without competing with or repeating them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I invented a pasta salad using what I had in my pantry and fridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started with tri-color rotini, and I added whole olives, diced red peppers and celery, balsamic vinaigrette, and crumbled gorgonzola.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going for similar flavors to my favorite savory <a href="http://realmomreallycooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/last-minute-change-of-plans.html">mixed green salad</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The peppers were leftovers from the veggie tray I made for a backyard party, and they stood in for roasted red peppers, which I would have preferred, but I was out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t imagine a pasta salad without celery, and the olives were for me (I love them, The Rev not so much.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sprinkled on a generous helping of the cheese and packed the dressing separately, tossing it just before we ate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids weren’t big fans, but I loved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rounded out the meal with some fresh fruit, and our little roadside picnic looked downright gourmet!</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe3frLekoUjb4hoYpP6OgIjzkaLMye-arnFwcPX9XCNDe4sCeqF02f2Uf1mHRNO6iQUheE2eVMDPF3JpQDbcflCSIJOdHz0DmbMu2O1kiuEaeAz44Av0en6mgF4CXQ8-AODi1r-mm3Rss/s1600/100_0880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe3frLekoUjb4hoYpP6OgIjzkaLMye-arnFwcPX9XCNDe4sCeqF02f2Uf1mHRNO6iQUheE2eVMDPF3JpQDbcflCSIJOdHz0DmbMu2O1kiuEaeAz44Av0en6mgF4CXQ8-AODi1r-mm3Rss/s320/100_0880.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-33530394425090063432011-05-31T21:08:00.000-04:002011-05-31T21:08:28.016-04:00Let the Grill Do the Work<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We celebrated Memorial Day by going to war on the mess in our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the hottest day we’ve had so far, and we were worn out from housework, so at dinnertime we wanted something quick that didn’t heat up the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the grill!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We first tried this flank steak recipe last spring, serving it to guests, and it was a hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like it because it doesn’t require the advanced planning of a marinade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The recipe comes from <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/">Cook’s Country</a>, and is one of their 30 Minute Meals.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Sweet Onion Relish</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Serves 4</span></div><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin: auto auto auto 39.7pt; mso-cellspacing: 3.7pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 528px;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">flank steak<i> (about 1 1/2 pounds)</i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=61"><span style="color: #d73a15; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Salt and pepper</span></a><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">red onion<i> , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds (see note)</i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tablespoons vegetable oil<i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">¼ </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup red wine vinegar<i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">/<sub>8</sub></span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">teaspoon cayenne pepper<i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tablespoons brown sugar<i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 10.94%;" valign="top" width="10%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.25pt 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 86.26%;" valign="top" width="86%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tablespoon chopped fresh parsley<i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brush onion rounds with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Grill steak over hot fire until well browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Grill onion until charred and soft, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer steak and onion to cutting board and tent with foil. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> When cool enough to handle, chop onion coarsely. Heat remaining oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and any accumulated beef juices and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley. Slice steak thinly against grain. Serve steak with relish.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiYucB-AeseYgHRSSIFuShUWkdo2pljcpF4T90CUUgnb4hpZig2wMGsvMbVLd8Y5pRlnV0A7xYMA6asr_vmPeT2ZbKqbbRU9qf_OouzlRWBlTok_9CKQ_OPZZTsD1jxIVBmDdT33otrvl/s1600/100_0805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiYucB-AeseYgHRSSIFuShUWkdo2pljcpF4T90CUUgnb4hpZig2wMGsvMbVLd8Y5pRlnV0A7xYMA6asr_vmPeT2ZbKqbbRU9qf_OouzlRWBlTok_9CKQ_OPZZTsD1jxIVBmDdT33otrvl/s320/100_0805.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onions and flank steak ready for the grill</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLE6iozmmFINF6S0N5oiP9GwQPZxahnYm_nFh2Z-IyZ1k8MgO727HyeO7CKnKG5sDCPExKkdilHn8VDORDq87xEntq1jedxgnnwEsR8KDj0U2f8dRj15WNyIvHYgH_Mi_tU-LOn38pdfbv/s1600/100_0818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLE6iozmmFINF6S0N5oiP9GwQPZxahnYm_nFh2Z-IyZ1k8MgO727HyeO7CKnKG5sDCPExKkdilHn8VDORDq87xEntq1jedxgnnwEsR8KDj0U2f8dRj15WNyIvHYgH_Mi_tU-LOn38pdfbv/s320/100_0818.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charred onion relish thickening on the stove</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVV8SiAVeCwVL0M6WWMD83woGWa1QssElW_empmwkCPKSAlW11sm-23CACSotNT_W3zQZYu5z5j8ePEfDzWSO1UqrG057cXY8YOkf4lmp1yC-A2_bXxtHRRL0lODrbuELMUYWKoF_DkITP/s1600/100_0824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVV8SiAVeCwVL0M6WWMD83woGWa1QssElW_empmwkCPKSAlW11sm-23CACSotNT_W3zQZYu5z5j8ePEfDzWSO1UqrG057cXY8YOkf4lmp1yC-A2_bXxtHRRL0lODrbuELMUYWKoF_DkITP/s320/100_0824.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's important to slice the steak thinly across the grain</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wasn’t perfectly faithful to the recipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have red onion, but the yellow onion I did have worked fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also didn’t have any cayenne pepper, but since the relish already had vinegar in it, I figured a similar amount of hot sauce would do, and it did.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was writing a previous blog post last week, I ran across this recipe on <a href="http://www.cuisineathome.com/">Cuisine at Home</a> and thought it would be the perfect side here.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Grilled Steak Fries with Dijon Mayonnaise</span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0.5in;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Makes:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 8 servings</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0.5in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Total time:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 30 minutes</span></div></div><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin: auto auto auto 36.75pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 9pt; width: 269.9pt;" width="360"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FOR THE FRIES:</span></b></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">large russet potatoes, each cut into 8 wedges</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil</span></div></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Salt and black pepper to taste</span></div></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup shredded Cheddar cheese</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"><td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0.75pt; padding-left: 0.75pt; padding-right: 0.75pt; padding-top: 9pt; width: 269.9pt;" width="360"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FOR THE SAUCE:</span></b></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.65pt 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup mayonnaise</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.65pt 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tbsp. Dijon mustard</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.65pt 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">strips bacon, diced and fried until crisp</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1.65pt 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0.05in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tbsp. chopped scallion</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt; width: 0.6in;" width="58"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 2.4pt;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Preheat</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> grill to medium. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Toss</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> potato wedges with oil, salt, and pepper. Grill potatoes, uncovered, until tender when pierced, 10–15 minutes. Turn potatoes halfway through to create grill marks on both sides. Transfer potato wedges to a foil pan or a baking dish; sprinkle with Cheddar. Turn off grill; place pan on grill to allow residual heat to melt Cheddar. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0.5in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Combine</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> mayonnaise and Dijon for the sauce in a small bowl. Garnish with bacon and scallion.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since I already had the vegetable oil out for the flank steak recipe, I just used that instead of olive oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I halved the recipe, and I edited the sauce a bit, omitting the scallions, using real bacon bits instead of going to the trouble of frying bacon, and I added about ½ teaspoon of prepared horseradish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was delicious!</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAnzt8v2U23e6D4LkVCP5nElEoc4XpnEez_ftG4ToS0Ht0QE0poIVPgmRVv55l0nSWkPc7H9S_8GJcZLRhgC4UuZvRVDTbIu81aqMc-PPswmrPyKZPRYO4aGxeSww0Pvw7BHlBWwCdGgn/s1600/100_0807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAnzt8v2U23e6D4LkVCP5nElEoc4XpnEez_ftG4ToS0Ht0QE0poIVPgmRVv55l0nSWkPc7H9S_8GJcZLRhgC4UuZvRVDTbIu81aqMc-PPswmrPyKZPRYO4aGxeSww0Pvw7BHlBWwCdGgn/s320/100_0807.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To round out the meal I made a salad from the fresh spinach my in-laws brought from their garden this weekend, a couple of fresh strawberries, some honey roasted almonds, and feta cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cwr8xKjiXioUcVUCQipXxVnNdFvO4hTQsrPuf5Gr4khDvVcANnCJXz7dOt4uZbCrnnfD9BKxV5iXxP22Zn5780tTH-jZwheYpWw0P0vn12oSoiR41Xlai51L6yY__la1sKLBGPB_ZBBu/s1600/100_0827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cwr8xKjiXioUcVUCQipXxVnNdFvO4hTQsrPuf5Gr4khDvVcANnCJXz7dOt4uZbCrnnfD9BKxV5iXxP22Zn5780tTH-jZwheYpWw0P0vn12oSoiR41Xlai51L6yY__la1sKLBGPB_ZBBu/s320/100_0827.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks as good as it tastes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For dessert, I made a summertime favorite—we call it Fluff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve also called it Pot of Gold, but that was because I was taking it to a St. Patrick’s day potluck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever you call it, you’ll love it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s cool and refreshing, and it works as a dessert or a fruit salad, if you’re not too picky about the definition of "salad."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put it together at lunch because it’s so much better if it has a couple of hours to chill, but you can eat it right away, and believe me, I have. I have the short list of ingredients on hand all summer long.</span></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJgdMNUwAoOMvqMfujIFb7VBpS2TweuCmVusXTLXQSk_0cWUfVRulpkHTgUCCH9OiLezRdBqX8nAsl_pmIuleu5hCG2Q-9IqPMhoi5k62aY7VrLJUjo9uKoYZ9x5c5IVZRRqyjRiSLRJa/s1600/100_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJgdMNUwAoOMvqMfujIFb7VBpS2TweuCmVusXTLXQSk_0cWUfVRulpkHTgUCCH9OiLezRdBqX8nAsl_pmIuleu5hCG2Q-9IqPMhoi5k62aY7VrLJUjo9uKoYZ9x5c5IVZRRqyjRiSLRJa/s320/100_0796.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fluff</span></span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 lg. can crushed pineapple</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 box instant vanilla pudding</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 sm. cans mandarin oranges, drained and snipped into bite-sized pieces (I just use kitchen shears right in the can)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tub whipped topping</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Drain the pineapple over a bowl, reserving all the juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Press out as much juice as you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whisk the instant pudding mix into the pineapple juice, whisking constantly for at least two minutes to thicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fold in the pineapple, oranges and the whipped topping until well combined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chill before serving.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZFv-Q5pNgxl7sw9jpbAEeu6iCwou6S9BmdfpAi2r81ORYHlnkJ5nKYwL-f58w9V6UIIt3c6KQI-lVpj5jBNKuCZcaiw1aZANwga-laqDkHnYPc9pEaN6N3qM8YxzdXfm4Uwd8vXRFHyI/s1600/100_0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZFv-Q5pNgxl7sw9jpbAEeu6iCwou6S9BmdfpAi2r81ORYHlnkJ5nKYwL-f58w9V6UIIt3c6KQI-lVpj5jBNKuCZcaiw1aZANwga-laqDkHnYPc9pEaN6N3qM8YxzdXfm4Uwd8vXRFHyI/s320/100_0798.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I use a fine mesh strainer to make sure I get out as much juice as possible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNsNQl-fHdbqSNbqUdaqUA_0RJVhtFYKf_n6bWw25hpU-9gzdjc8Gof_l3fcD_kTpu-vla72fNHSWIcpx_urjWGn7sT8mBBOLe56i-afcQH4orZNDPu16dXZ5skRdTqfyS0NBK8P_1QhC/s1600/100_0801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNsNQl-fHdbqSNbqUdaqUA_0RJVhtFYKf_n6bWw25hpU-9gzdjc8Gof_l3fcD_kTpu-vla72fNHSWIcpx_urjWGn7sT8mBBOLe56i-afcQH4orZNDPu16dXZ5skRdTqfyS0NBK8P_1QhC/s320/100_0801.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Folding the fruit into the thickened pudding</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cSo7vkUsUm_FlvYougHYKtZKB8KiVJqZjoSnIdsNTkO2RgHwQInKdhyphenhyphen97r0k1dkeOScc5ymEkVM018SNfyuZnmm6i287mGjVo9_juO2pInsT7QwCVyunVhnQB2TJ2st-wsGSimFkwrp4/s1600/100_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cSo7vkUsUm_FlvYougHYKtZKB8KiVJqZjoSnIdsNTkO2RgHwQInKdhyphenhyphen97r0k1dkeOScc5ymEkVM018SNfyuZnmm6i287mGjVo9_juO2pInsT7QwCVyunVhnQB2TJ2st-wsGSimFkwrp4/s320/100_0802.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks great even before it chills and sets up some more!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can make this a bit healthier by using the fat-free whipped topping, but the one time I tried that it didn’t seem to set up very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That may be because I didn’t whisk it long enough, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could also use sugar-free pudding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rev has asked that I put flaked coconut in, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next time I try it, I’ll let you know how it turns out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect the coconut will only ratchet up the awesomeness.</span></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-68307507145614264582011-05-30T22:25:00.000-04:002011-05-30T22:25:39.419-04:00Slow Cooker Saves the Day<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Saturday was quite a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am the chairwoman of the Funeral Dinner committee at our church, and on Saturday we served a funeral dinner to 150 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, 150 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A funeral dinner at our church entails the committee preparing two meat dishes, and serving sides that are generously donated by the women of our church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And boy, can those ladies cook!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typically, a funeral dinner is served to about 30-60 people, but sadly, this funeral was for a relatively young woman who was beloved by many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her parents are active members of our church and have an extensive community of their own who turned out to support them in their time of grief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an honor to be a part of the ministry of providing a funeral dinner like we do, and I am proud of what we were able to do on Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took pretty much my entire day, though, and I knew that after spending a full day in the church kitchen I would not be keen on spending much time in my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I tried to plan ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my meal plan for the week, I had planned to have The Rev grill our dinner, but he was pretty busy with the funeral itself, plus we had the added complication of Middleman waking up sick that morning, and Oldest playing in his second Tball game of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever either of us wasn’t at the church, we were at home comforting a sick boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, my father-in-law was able to help take care of the kids, but neither of us was in any shape to do much cooking come dinnertime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slow cooker to the rescue!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I switched up my meal plans, moving Pork BBQ to today and pushing the grilling to later in the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put the pork in the slow cooker before I left in the morning, and all The Rev had to do at dinnertime was shred the meat and pour on a little bottled barbeque sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sides were leftovers from the funeral dinner.</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Pork BBQ Sandwiches</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;">Pork roast (I think I got a shoulder roast on sale,) whatever size will fit in your slow cooker</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;">Salt and pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;">Celery salt</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;">¼ c. water</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;">Bottled barbeque sauce</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;">Rolls</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;">Pat roast dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper and celery salt on all sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place in slow cooker and pour ¼ c. water over roast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until meat is falling apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove meat to a platter or shallow dish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove any bones and large chunks of fat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shred meat with two forks and move to a serving bowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pour your favorite bottled barbeque sauce over the meat (our choice is Sweet Baby Ray’s,) enough to moisten the pork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spoon a little of the broth from the slow cooker over the meat and sauce and stir to combine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add more sauce as you like, or pass at the table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serve on crusty rolls. Reserve the yummy broth for another recipe. It freezes well and is great for making gravy or punching up soupbeans.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXTvckdqJrJLcd7zlzsLbhUuRMzfU1anIT1d9pB3JxIdfVMMtzDaFgRWXVcL70SVoDeox5gMW7Ny5P7zAodr_Q4hFSQrSB35mV-J2EtXQq3B-TOpDpk7FgeQ4-l0Ee9VNtgugO9mCThIp/s1600/100_0788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXTvckdqJrJLcd7zlzsLbhUuRMzfU1anIT1d9pB3JxIdfVMMtzDaFgRWXVcL70SVoDeox5gMW7Ny5P7zAodr_Q4hFSQrSB35mV-J2EtXQq3B-TOpDpk7FgeQ4-l0Ee9VNtgugO9mCThIp/s320/100_0788.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner prep took less than ten minutes in the morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3axVyOav7SCJERaR6MZplhIn6w88H7-lYSuHqT9M9ti2su9pdrF_V0T_KevzYqJFEx5ankWPAi3bgp53kFoj6vfNUvwA6iURSO8R56let1JZjrNbRkpwz_OUbxhS_PeshWX83CvGvgX2/s1600/100_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3axVyOav7SCJERaR6MZplhIn6w88H7-lYSuHqT9M9ti2su9pdrF_V0T_KevzYqJFEx5ankWPAi3bgp53kFoj6vfNUvwA6iURSO8R56let1JZjrNbRkpwz_OUbxhS_PeshWX83CvGvgX2/s320/100_0795.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful sides were leftovers from the funeral dinner. Fantastic salads!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-28911987745301427462011-05-30T21:09:00.001-04:002011-05-30T21:10:43.885-04:00An Old Favorite with a New Name<div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Years ago, when my mom first made this recipe, one of us asked what we were having for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason, my mom replied, “Hogslop!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This dish has lived by that name ever since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mom actually hates that I call it that, but I say it with such affection!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a wonderful, hearty, filling casserole that is a one-dish dinner if you have a cast-iron skillet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original recipe came from an old Campbell’s soup cookbook, so of course it includes the convenience of a good old can of cream of mushroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also calls for sautéing strips of sirloin in butter—not exactly low-fat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course my mom used ground beef way back when because that’s what she had, and I’ve stuck with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve tried to make the recipe a little healthier, and I’m thinking that next time I make it I might try skipping the canned soup in favor of making my own creamy mushroom base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s another blog post!</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hogslop</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" /></span></div></div><div class="WordSection2"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 c. wide egg noodles, uncooked</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 lb. lean ground beef</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ onion, diced</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ tsp. dried thyme leaves</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><sup>1</sup>/<sub>3</sub> c. low-fat sour cream</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 can cream of mushroom soup</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ c. water</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 can green beans, drained (I used a pint of home canned beans from my aunt)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ c. Italian-style dry bread crumbs</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cook noodles according to package directions, salting the water well to flavor the noodles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat (an oven-safe nonstick skillet should also work, or you can finish the casserole in a baking dish.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a couple of minutes, add the onion to cook with the ground beef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add thyme (I never actually measure it) and salt and pepper to taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the meat is fully browned and the onion is softened, drain fat if necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn the heat to low and stir in the sour cream, soup, and water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stir in the drained green beans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow to simmer while the noodles finish cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carefully stir in the noodles (a 10-inch skillet will be pretty full.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your skillet is not oven-safe, pour mixture into a baking dish that can go under the broiler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Top with bread crumbs (something else I don’t measure; use what looks good to you.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place the skillet under the broiler on high until crumbs are lightly browned. Serve straight from the skillet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuRbbxzaZAIJ0wVALQS-BEPLhyphenhyphenPw_k8fpTSEy46BN74K4T7yjI2Hv3FBoZF-QnaZPUJ_W8do0H8ISDElcXZ08TQhcCT6koJlwNpamXvxQsUHyfHnNAed36M1JBbb9-r0WrmRXpkux5RRB/s1600/100_0720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuRbbxzaZAIJ0wVALQS-BEPLhyphenhyphenPw_k8fpTSEy46BN74K4T7yjI2Hv3FBoZF-QnaZPUJ_W8do0H8ISDElcXZ08TQhcCT6koJlwNpamXvxQsUHyfHnNAed36M1JBbb9-r0WrmRXpkux5RRB/s320/100_0720.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubbling away in the cast iron skillet</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2SV3lfqgpEIkKglvQs0dK45k7DBIQM8rxz-7PYfS-Ys39JjZHw_Js1UqBq9YR9xNpDMcWh7__9F6WizW5vxaDWn-JzxElrLAQGu0CDQW48Y-9C4CPbW2rJNKaLBUoqqWOVPm66tn9R74/s1600/100_0722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2SV3lfqgpEIkKglvQs0dK45k7DBIQM8rxz-7PYfS-Ys39JjZHw_Js1UqBq9YR9xNpDMcWh7__9F6WizW5vxaDWn-JzxElrLAQGu0CDQW48Y-9C4CPbW2rJNKaLBUoqqWOVPm66tn9R74/s320/100_0722.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprinkling on the bread crumbs. Note how full the skillet is!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSY6MTKfhqCGBLU5B3ffrIq82FgQIVSAFFyMjuavTS7Bm_Jc3r_ChjVsqngIZhPcj6aSSxWvOjP8_4rf_jTOAq8NE5a1sjNtI_RyHGe5AOl-v9r5ZQwxeSKSv9RKb8DsBH8hwPTH6jeB7/s1600/100_0723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSY6MTKfhqCGBLU5B3ffrIq82FgQIVSAFFyMjuavTS7Bm_Jc3r_ChjVsqngIZhPcj6aSSxWvOjP8_4rf_jTOAq8NE5a1sjNtI_RyHGe5AOl-v9r5ZQwxeSKSv9RKb8DsBH8hwPTH6jeB7/s320/100_0723.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicely browned after just about 5 minutes under the broiler</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There you have it—a complete meal in one skillet, and on the table in about a half an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually serve some sort of fruit on the side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight it was homemade applesauce from the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a favorite comfort food in the winter, but it’s a pretty good choice in the warmer months when you want something hearty but you don’t want to heat up the kitchen by running the oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s great as leftovers, too! </span></div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVU7T1Nln_GM3-K-lfZLHXul6QeJ-p0RWf9f77nfX-jDyv0G-AH_dnhV2IsalGri3TPy50eO0zlxNpnYL2mQFNMGdD1ropuPK5K9Y2k292gH3qn3HnkRpzaxxFgkZzmn_sRjeU0iWLmA9/s1600/100_0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVU7T1Nln_GM3-K-lfZLHXul6QeJ-p0RWf9f77nfX-jDyv0G-AH_dnhV2IsalGri3TPy50eO0zlxNpnYL2mQFNMGdD1ropuPK5K9Y2k292gH3qn3HnkRpzaxxFgkZzmn_sRjeU0iWLmA9/s320/100_0732.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The total package--hearty casserole and homemade applesauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I actually made this dish earlier in the week when I was visiting a mom who just had a sweet new baby boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My visit was last-minute, so I didn’t have time to make a casserole to take to her, as I usually would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I raided her cabinets to see what she had that I could work with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of canned green beans, she had frozen, so I just threw a handful of beans in with the noodles for the last couple of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>minutes they<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>were boiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, I cooked it the same as I did for my family a little later in the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of putting it straight from the stove into the oven, I poured everything into a 9x13 baking dish and slid it into the fridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the new daddy had to do at dinner time was preheat the oven and bake until it was bubbly and browned on top. I told my friend the story of the name, but we decided a nicer name would be Hamburger Stroganoff Casserole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that better, mom?</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-69367254302552557662011-05-26T15:40:00.002-04:002011-05-26T15:50:02.437-04:00Indulging a Craving<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I broke one of my cardinal rules tonight—dinner prep should be easy—in the interest of satisfying a craving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used to live in the Midwest, and I loved the pecan crusted chicken salad from a restaurant chain out there called <a href="http://www.ocharleys.com/">O’Charley’s</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Northwest PA doesn’t have anything quite like O’Charley’s, and though TGIFriday’s has a decent version, there’s not one of those anywhere nearby either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I had to figure out how to make a version of the salad myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last fall I got a sample issue of the magazine <a href="http://www.cuisineathome.com/">Cuisine at Home</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like a good cooking magazine, but I already subscribe to three magazines with recipes that I use regularly, so I couldn’t really justify subscribing to this one, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I am happy to use the recipes they sent me for free!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was excited to see a recipe for a pecan crusted chicken salad in the free issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have adapted it for a little more convenience and to more closely approximate the O’Charley’s version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as I’m concerned, it’s well worth a little extra work.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the chicken:</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ loaf ciabatta bread, cubed</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Handful fresh Italian parsley</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Salt and pepper</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">¾ -1 c. pecans</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ tsp. dried oregano</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ tsp. dried thyme leaves</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9 pieces boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins (I figured 2 per adult and 1 per child)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 whole eggs</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 tsp. cornstarch</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3 Tbsp. olive oil</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>For the salad:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(makes 3 dinner salads)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3 small heads lettuce greens (I use artisanal greens from Aldi)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 sm. can mandarin oranges, drained and cut to bite-sized pieces</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dried berries (I like the mixed berries from Aldi, but I’ve made it with just cranberries)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 c. whole pecans</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gorgonzola cheese crumbles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sweet balsamic vinaigrette (I used store-bought this time, but it’s easy to make with a ratio of 2:2:1 of oil, sugar, and vinegar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adjust the sugar to your taste, and try mixing different vinegars such as raspberry, balsamic, white wine, etc.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Preheat oven to 200<sup>o</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place bread in food processor and process until you get crumbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There should be a range of sizes from pea-sized crumbs down to almost powder (see picture below.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Work in batches if necessary to avoid overworking the food processor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven to dry for 10-12 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not allow crumbs to toast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, trim excess skin and fat from the tenderloins, if necessary, and pat dry with paper towels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beat together eggs and cornstarch in shallow dish (such as a pie plate.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pulse pecans, parsley, oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste in the food processor until pecans are finely chopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove bread crumbs from oven and increase heat to 450<sup>o</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a second shallow dish, combine bread crumbs and pecan mixture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set up an assembly line with the tenderloins, egg wash, crumbs, and a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dip each tenderloin in the egg wash, then roll in the crumbs, pressing the crumbs to the chicken to help them adhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gently place each tenderloin on the wire rack (some crumbs will fall off.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When all the chicken is coated, place the chicken on the rack in the refrigerator to allow them to air dry, 20-30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helps set the crust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the chicken is resting, wash, dry and tear the salad greens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toast the whole pecans in a toaster oven set to 300<sup>o</sup> until they are fragrant, about 5-10 minutes (you can also toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat on the stovetop if you don’t have a toaster oven.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fill three salad plates with greens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Top with dried berries (or fresh if available,) mandarin orange pieces, toasted pecans, and gorgonzola cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Use amounts of each that look good to you, according to your taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it’s about time to remove the chicken from the fridge, heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, until shimmering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place the chicken pieces carefully in the pan, laying them toward you to allow loose crumbs to form a bed for the chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sauté until chicken is golden brown and crisp on one side, about 3 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carefully turn with a spatula and transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roast chicken until done, 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the tenderloins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place tenderloins on top of salads (1-2 per salad depending on the size of the chicken pieces.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprinkle any toasted crumbs left in the pan over the salads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pass vinaigrette at the table.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA0t9REyGxDHJcucZUqEZAJQV1J6zRlePPC9zw1CsgVviFqrVoYK4isVNqcSVW45PRnR3X42ltzXLcTfIxqMtgZfcUxFd6EOgdsrXKK50jDUgMAM4ZpVVP_0vSsBjUrI2Y2A8JhKCQvhy/s1600/100_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA0t9REyGxDHJcucZUqEZAJQV1J6zRlePPC9zw1CsgVviFqrVoYK4isVNqcSVW45PRnR3X42ltzXLcTfIxqMtgZfcUxFd6EOgdsrXKK50jDUgMAM4ZpVVP_0vSsBjUrI2Y2A8JhKCQvhy/s320/100_0689.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cube the bread to help process it into crumbs</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAflJ6EvnSJOAdyGJbOVrXS8RmQPsOu9ypSLPPFibI5-vLiedv5gyJUu_GvGz4u9FG79KvHxcYjLxBxlNNbvnMY2G2p5yL-pioTmnntBBp1_7k5Q3Cba9RzNdFV6tr_Kgs8W29MixMZjFs/s1600/100_0695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAflJ6EvnSJOAdyGJbOVrXS8RmQPsOu9ypSLPPFibI5-vLiedv5gyJUu_GvGz4u9FG79KvHxcYjLxBxlNNbvnMY2G2p5yL-pioTmnntBBp1_7k5Q3Cba9RzNdFV6tr_Kgs8W29MixMZjFs/s320/100_0695.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crumbs shouldn't be uniform--look for a range from pea-sized to powdery</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRg0zC_KRTsjDodepT8OJAZGl8-hXdxGlRjgEJruNC11yEnMRaiXQukuV2miwM4BL9lfFk1FGTeH7JtYk68gClFy6xqSDFafq9_y5-3fYthk4bWUamqcYUT8nBDWQKST3ZkqWEddor9z0/s1600/100_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRg0zC_KRTsjDodepT8OJAZGl8-hXdxGlRjgEJruNC11yEnMRaiXQukuV2miwM4BL9lfFk1FGTeH7JtYk68gClFy6xqSDFafq9_y5-3fYthk4bWUamqcYUT8nBDWQKST3ZkqWEddor9z0/s320/100_0704.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breading assembly line</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Phew!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a lot of work, but I love the flavors in this salad, and it will be easier the next time I make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s because I turned the whole loaf of bread into crumbs, but I put half in a freezer bag, so I have homemade crumbs already made for next time I want to bread something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t dry them yet because depending on the recipe, I might want soft crumbs, and they’re easy enough to dry if I want, straight from the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had a good bit of the pecan breading mixture left over, and I froze that, too, so when I crave this salad again I only have to thaw the crumbs when I thaw the chicken.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in;"><br />
</div> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I made some significant changes from the original Cuisine at Home recipe, which was actually a little hard to follow in the magazine because it was spread over several pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One article had a basic crusted chicken breast recipe, and several pages later was the pecan variation, with instructions for a pretty different salad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t get as fancy with the spices as they called for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also chose to use the tenderloins rather than whole breasts, which the original recipe wants you to trim and pound to an even thickness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still not proficient at the art of pounding chicken breasts, and the recipe is complicated and labor-intensive enough as it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tenderloins are a little more pricey (not by much, as I get them at Aldi,) but I’ll pay for the convenience in this case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in;"><br />
</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTo45f8dx30uar8oh5PzTjYO2q5_bSf_9zYLl3KJe4FCFpXCiYZJAEhq5X6W98IeVWgb1-16RnY6aAw3TBVPAvIt5SIi1GRSCxPk07NJChekT9xRncFWJffYVYiaVT1ETKEjRc94WgdU0/s1600/100_0715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTo45f8dx30uar8oh5PzTjYO2q5_bSf_9zYLl3KJe4FCFpXCiYZJAEhq5X6W98IeVWgb1-16RnY6aAw3TBVPAvIt5SIi1GRSCxPk07NJChekT9xRncFWJffYVYiaVT1ETKEjRc94WgdU0/s320/100_0715.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">The recipe called for a non-stick pan but I had no problem in this one</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0qldP7YzvbFmSpk4XFxgnQ09Gj18ud0USjvUI1u2wA8xAK6HKknJZfV_ATjCSGN8BLBFMve_v81gXbecdLLqlN_eI8xDKEFkRekdirmN47QEAVH_-nk2F24ZYbLa_AtuW1jSlMTMKcuc/s1600/100_0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0qldP7YzvbFmSpk4XFxgnQ09Gj18ud0USjvUI1u2wA8xAK6HKknJZfV_ATjCSGN8BLBFMve_v81gXbecdLLqlN_eI8xDKEFkRekdirmN47QEAVH_-nk2F24ZYbLa_AtuW1jSlMTMKcuc/s320/100_0713.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salad, just waiting for chicken</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The O’Charley’s salad I love is actually a chopped salad with dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, candied pecans, and bleu cheese crumbles and comes with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t go to the trouble of chopping the greens, and I don’t candy the pecans—they taste great just toasted and they’re better for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight I happened to have fresh strawberries on hand, so I threw those on, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to the vinaigrette, we passed some raspberry vinegar at the table and the extra flavor a few sprinkles lent to the salad was really nice.</span></div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacijxaFz1AvvDHmnrG1c90miw_06Ptk0JrvLcTrKeAMmXt43ZN-OMpBaENlTDY2WO_SWItSM6U87QaE782myEToDlzwaF1H4-ccsKa3AAJ7HCA0VnxZfiS23hr4ZXdO6Lln5jXE1H90hU/s1600/100_0716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacijxaFz1AvvDHmnrG1c90miw_06Ptk0JrvLcTrKeAMmXt43ZN-OMpBaENlTDY2WO_SWItSM6U87QaE782myEToDlzwaF1H4-ccsKa3AAJ7HCA0VnxZfiS23hr4ZXdO6Lln5jXE1H90hU/s320/100_0716.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to dig in! I sliced the chicken once it was on my salad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">One more thing I love about this recipe is that it is easy to make kid-friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My kids aren’t into salad, so I just put all the other elements on their plates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tenders are chicken nuggets as far as the kids are concerned, and they like the fruits and even the nuts that top the salads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted them to have a little green as well, so I heated up some leftover broccoli.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all ate well, and I miss the Midwest just a little bit less after this meal.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSJYcAgj06FrLV1bJKsrDbQanFVk5i_JvV_P5MRAqc-yCQGmzzXzgXAjaRkhJiEi2N9c1EED0Pd64JKZFFQzd5AujTLYO7OGVnFQp1xHmSIGfTGgqFZNMY4qj64nh4kpBiRjjhEu4g3yd/s1600/100_0717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSJYcAgj06FrLV1bJKsrDbQanFVk5i_JvV_P5MRAqc-yCQGmzzXzgXAjaRkhJiEi2N9c1EED0Pd64JKZFFQzd5AujTLYO7OGVnFQp1xHmSIGfTGgqFZNMY4qj64nh4kpBiRjjhEu4g3yd/s320/100_0717.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kiddie version (watched over by Batman and friends)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-54601244277778398842011-05-25T16:33:00.000-04:002011-05-25T16:33:31.877-04:00Roasted Shrimp with Tomatoes<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="WordSection1"><div class="WordSection1" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Tonight’s meal has Greek-inspired flavors and is everything I look for in a recipe—it’s super easy, fast, healthy, and frugal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a true thirty minute meal that doesn’t use a lot of processed ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From start to finish, you really can have this on the table in thirty minutes, and you don’t have to be an expert with a chef’s knife to make it happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entrée recipe comes from <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-shrimp-with-tomatoes-10000001946175/">All You</a> magazine.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 24pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Roasted Shrimp with Tomatoes</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 6;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 6;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #5b335c; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ingredients</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 2.25pt 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 2.25pt 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 tablespoons olive oil </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 2.25pt 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 cloves garlic, minced </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 2.25pt 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Salt and pepper </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 2.25pt 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 ½ lbs. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 2.25pt 0.5in 7.5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 teaspoon dried oregano </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 2.25pt 0.5in 7.5pt 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 6;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Preparation</span></b></div><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 6.75pt 0.5in;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Drain tomatoes, reserving ½ cup juice. Combine tomatoes, reserved juice, oil and garlic in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling, about 15 minutes.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 6.75pt 0.5in 7.5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. Stir shrimp and oregano into tomatoes. Sprinkle goat cheese on top. Return to oven and bake until shrimp are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.</span></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cWMkzcK7X8qFUkMTqD8Nnvvjx1qKBhGBVtHrRKvUjtKbPgTCd4CtfgFUhPo2hLhtuBgjftfYVqq5r371JJpaYuaNaCI8IOQt5LsfsOWBg6I2SJqKtRZD3tZGRxhkPJDWfTKxo7YjjBoW/s1600/100_0664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cWMkzcK7X8qFUkMTqD8Nnvvjx1qKBhGBVtHrRKvUjtKbPgTCd4CtfgFUhPo2hLhtuBgjftfYVqq5r371JJpaYuaNaCI8IOQt5LsfsOWBg6I2SJqKtRZD3tZGRxhkPJDWfTKxo7YjjBoW/s320/100_0664.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes, garlic, and oil ready for the oven</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 6.75pt 0.5in;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhDlIQP_hxURjT7pC-R9hSqY850ZPcN4MfZ9LraZGMEmxgqHgAUjPfzK15_KsMqqbGFd0JmUGYypVfZIPmjonJib4adv_eQMLhwP_GFdRjg-lAnSL4lEJZtvH9nl-MdMxAbUQI_QOaBs2/s1600/100_0666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhDlIQP_hxURjT7pC-R9hSqY850ZPcN4MfZ9LraZGMEmxgqHgAUjPfzK15_KsMqqbGFd0JmUGYypVfZIPmjonJib4adv_eQMLhwP_GFdRjg-lAnSL4lEJZtvH9nl-MdMxAbUQI_QOaBs2/s320/100_0666.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the tomatoes are roasting, it's a quick job to remove the tails from the shrimp</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKEajaEMrfCAwvFsX6_cnseCN2Ts7gnv4txp4oqCllAhygagsPbYTysnpkmAxMUsGLfU64KrMqN8bO45vF0mWGvHD0_Dzv2Bxax8LfsIGq-ncppTfmcrO6bNMitQhO5tvwTmW3tjMO3kq/s1600/100_0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKEajaEMrfCAwvFsX6_cnseCN2Ts7gnv4txp4oqCllAhygagsPbYTysnpkmAxMUsGLfU64KrMqN8bO45vF0mWGvHD0_Dzv2Bxax8LfsIGq-ncppTfmcrO6bNMitQhO5tvwTmW3tjMO3kq/s320/100_0680.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the shrimp and feta--no measuring, just eyeballed it</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>This recipe is quoted on the website as seven minutes for prep and 25 minutes in the oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It actually went more quickly than that for me because I used the precooked medium shrimp from Aldi, so I only had to toss the shrimp with the tomatoes and let them warm, which only takes about 5 minutes in the oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one recipe that I don’t measure for at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, when I made it this time I wasn’t paying close enough attention and I used only one can of tomatoes, and it still turned out great, which just goes to show it’s pretty fool-proof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I use crumbled feta when it calls for goat cheese, and of course I use a bit more garlic than it calls for.</div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHxRTD69WJBEtygg4pm6CWsZLEgqhbBm0U4Ebdn8LNp11v-XxcMDTPYgAUC-fZI5fcIAIyvL1tZ-O0TOCwbULiASwUAhRrt5Mwaej1zQuYW2LBDNGNtCxDlhNgRE83WDIg-T7aYVufmI6/s1600/100_0665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHxRTD69WJBEtygg4pm6CWsZLEgqhbBm0U4Ebdn8LNp11v-XxcMDTPYgAUC-fZI5fcIAIyvL1tZ-O0TOCwbULiASwUAhRrt5Mwaej1zQuYW2LBDNGNtCxDlhNgRE83WDIg-T7aYVufmI6/s320/100_0665.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Aldi ingredients</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51DdxI2JWoswhQwu1k0AaXPYMoYQEdrkv4kPM8GQmnyBx4bELAxuCmkncY21YVo8COE3wXzB0ykTRhWxi4wuMva4pbtaPEdfVpLph41k7WbGRt07S_xJ_cAV07NEaCoFUGstwd_Cu-cqu/s1600/100_0682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51DdxI2JWoswhQwu1k0AaXPYMoYQEdrkv4kPM8GQmnyBx4bELAxuCmkncY21YVo8COE3wXzB0ykTRhWxi4wuMva4pbtaPEdfVpLph41k7WbGRt07S_xJ_cAV07NEaCoFUGstwd_Cu-cqu/s320/100_0682.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Plated up and ready to enjoy</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As you can see, this is a pretty healthy recipe, without a lot of fat and tons of nutrients in the tomatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also economical—my entire menu tonight, down to the salt and pepper, came from Aldi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To keep the healthy thing going through the meal, I served instant brown rice and a vegetable blend on the side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t usually use “instant” anything, but real brown rice takes soooooo long to cook that I make this concession, and it helps keep the meal under thirty minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make it with chicken broth rather than water to give it a little extra flavor, and I leave out butter and salt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The veggies just get a quick steam in salted water, and they’re ready to go at the same time as the rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watermelon balls round out the meal and are an authentic Greek-style dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our dinner guest, Katie, provided a lovely wine to go with the meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was clearly a hit—here’s a look at the table when we were all done! I also have Katie to thank for being my photographer tonight. She's the reason there are so many pictures this time!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpCcqQZOboxoLrow1LVek3fPQu5LPGowlyUjA9V6zzhze3vp_BJ0WtXWoWW4N1dMtnOapA9bDxwIwB8KAZc8pwZnlSlChyphenhyphenm_j-tpjw1BaThT0Nt7h0v-30fR0en2N9QnvM1rP5Rdaw3L2/s1600/100_0685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpCcqQZOboxoLrow1LVek3fPQu5LPGowlyUjA9V6zzhze3vp_BJ0WtXWoWW4N1dMtnOapA9bDxwIwB8KAZc8pwZnlSlChyphenhyphenm_j-tpjw1BaThT0Nt7h0v-30fR0en2N9QnvM1rP5Rdaw3L2/s320/100_0685.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div></div></div></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-14034148747585027372011-05-24T09:54:00.001-04:002011-05-24T09:55:30.296-04:00Now That's How You Do Leftovers!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember when we had a pizza round left over when we made <a href="http://realmomreallycooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/grilled-pizza-with-friends.html">grilled pizzas</a>, and I told you I’d let you know how it worked left over?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, the answer is it worked great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rev was at his charity golf outing tonight, and when it’s just me and the kids, I can’t usually work up the motivation to really cook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I picked up a take-and-bake pizza at Aldi for the kids (those pizzas are great, by the way, and only $5.99 for a 16-inch cheese pizza) and grabbed another ball of fresh mozzarella for myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the kids’ pizza baked, I threw together a pizza for myself from last week’s leftovers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used some of the <a href="http://realmomreallycooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/last-minute-change-of-plans.html">quick tomato sauce</a> and sprinkled on a little shredded mozzarella I had left from making the kids’ pizzas on Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I thought it would help "glue" the toppings down and help keep them from sliding all over the place. </span>Next I sliced a tomato into very thin slices on top of the shredded cheese and topped them with some fresh mozzarella rounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, I had melted a little butter in a small skillet and started sautéing the sliced mushrooms and green peppers that hadn’t made it on to the grilled pizzas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those went on top of the cheese, and I put just a little more of the fresh mozzarella on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this time, the kids’ pizza was done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I popped my creation in the oven at 375<sup>o</sup> on the pizza stone, because that’s the temperature the take-and-bake pizza needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pizza round was fully cooked already, so I was just looking to melt the cheese and heat the sauce and toppings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 10 minutes (it might have been less; I was watching the pizza and not the clock to know when it was done,) this is what I got:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6UpBAlsh5oRpzjDBLvJZvXhSxiBX9HhtY06OLZjFRUuKyyQmTJ0OzUiwdBx37H589L47hrbYcQV9_-Z_7maCDOkL8OZuQi3OoCrkin0hgX78eQbOWsrGCeXMtJPh-3sD8Zv_d5GuESwV/s1600/100_0663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6UpBAlsh5oRpzjDBLvJZvXhSxiBX9HhtY06OLZjFRUuKyyQmTJ0OzUiwdBx37H589L47hrbYcQV9_-Z_7maCDOkL8OZuQi3OoCrkin0hgX78eQbOWsrGCeXMtJPh-3sD8Zv_d5GuESwV/s320/100_0663.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock star leftovers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It tasted every bit as good as it looks, and I felt good about myself because I got a great dose of veggies. The only change I would make if I were doing this again would be to salt the tomatoes and let them drain on a paper towel for a few minutes before putting them on the pizza. They released a lot of liquid on the pizza, which made it messy, but it still tasted fantastic!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I feel obligated to make this disclaimer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>leftovers are not usually quite this rockstar at our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly leftovers get eaten for lunch pretty much in their original form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I heat them up for dinner when I’m feeling lazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Growing up, my mom used to make something she called “Presbyterian Supper,” which consisted of a mini-buffet of whatever was left from the previous few days’ dinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The churches I grew up in had regular (and delicious) potluck dinners, hence the name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t make Presbyterian Supper too often because The Rev eats lunch here almost every day, so leftovers don’t accumulate in the fridge enough to make a buffet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, it’s a great way to use up perfectly good food!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you’re tired of cooking, consider putting your microwave to work and tell your family it’s potluck night!</span></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-83013264024410312722011-05-22T22:16:00.003-04:002011-05-23T15:52:54.369-04:00Steaks on the Grill<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ahhh menu planning, such a sweet fantasy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every week I plan meals, and every week the plan changes at least one night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight was going to be garlic chicken breasts on the grill with couscous and roasted veggies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were two problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1.) I’m out of the garlic chicken breasts from Aldi that are already seasoned, and it’s a seasonal item they don’t have in stock right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2.) I changed my regular routine and didn’t get to talk to The Rev’s secretary this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would that matter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, there’s a reason that I don’t rely on The Rev to tell me what his weekly meeting schedule is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week I got thrown off because I was on a field trip all day last Thursday with Oldest, and so I couldn’t call while she was in the office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I asked The Rev to open his online calendar and let me know what evening commitments he had this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to him, he has one meeting, on Tuesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I planned my menu with that in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What he neglected to tell me is that he will be at a charity golf event all day Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an event that includes dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doesn’t that seem like an evening commitment?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow, it didn’t to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I planned steaks on the grill for Monday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he’ll be eating at the golf event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See the problem?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I switched it up and we had the steaks tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize that there are a lot of people in the world who wish they have this kind of problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe problem isn’t the right word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s more of a dilemma, and really not much of one at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, it worked out pretty well in the end since I didn’t ever get around to marinating chicken breasts myself (see #1 above.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shopping for this meal was as easy as walking down the basement steps and opening our chest freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We order beef in bulk from a local beef farm which is owned and operated by a wonderful family in our church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I need to place an order for another quarter of a beef this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were some of the last steaks from the beef we ordered just about a year ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you live in the area and are interested in great beef and friendly service, check out <a href="http://www.clarionfarms.com/">Clarion Beef Barn</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll get our homegrown sweet corn there later this summer, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When our new order comes in about a week from now, I’ll post about it to let you know everything I get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll fill our freezer and eat well for another year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our cuts of choice tonight were two rib eyes and one porterhouse to feed our family of five.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rib eye is The Rev’s favorite steak by far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m less picky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m happy to have just about any kind of steak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rib eyes were packaged in pairs, and the porterhouse as a single, which works out to just about the perfect amount for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three kids can put away an amazing amount of steak (their former-meat-packer-and-butcher great-grandpa would be proud.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be fair, so can both their parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With steaks, I always serve potatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight they were baked, with watermelon and steamed broccoli as sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got out the sliced strawberries and angel food cake for dessert.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t really have a recipe to go with this meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We go pretty simple with grilled steaks to just let the great flavor of the steaks shine through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do have a couple of techniques to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I wasn’t planning on having the steaks until tomorrow night, I had to quick-thaw the steaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a couple of tricks for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One is to leave the steaks out on an upturned cast iron pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cast iron is an excellent conductor of heat, so it speeds thawing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t worry about leaving these steaks out on the counter because I know where they are grown and butchered, so I know the chances that they will have dangerous bacteria internally are slim to none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cast iron trick works if you have a few hours; I didn’t, so I also used a warm bath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put the steaks in a gallon-size freezer bag, press out as much air as possible, and immerse them in hot tap water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an imperfect method—it doesn’t make for the best quality steaks, so I only use it in emergencies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I never, EVER thaw steaks in the microwave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d rather go for takeout than ruin a perfectly good steak like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the steaks are thawed, I pat them dry and salt and pepper both sides. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of salt is key both to flavoring the steaks and to drying the outside, which helps make a good char.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I have time, I put the steaks on a wire rack over a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, which is a trick I got from <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/">Cook’s Illustrated</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea is to further dry the outside of the steaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also rub the steaks with a generous amount of cornstarch and salt, but when we tried that once the steaks were a little too salty (we didn’t think that was possible!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The actual grilling is up to The Rev; maybe he’ll comment and let you know how he works his grill magic (hint, hint.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you how I bake potatoes, but I will say that until very recently, I made them so seldom that I literally had to look up in my Betty Crocker Cooking Basics cookbook just exactly how to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could never remember how hot to make the oven or how long to cook them.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Broccoli is on the menu at least once a week here because it’s the one vegetable every member of my family will eat happily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned from my MIL that broccoli needs nothing but a little salt water to steam in if you start with fresh florets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aldi makes it affordable to eat fresh broccoli, and it really is so much tastier than frozen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I simply trim the florets (I like the stems so I leave them on) and pop them in a pot with about ½ inch of water and about ½ teaspoon of salt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cover it and bring the water to a boil and let it go until the broccoli smells good, looks good, and is fork-tender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dessert only required slicing the strawberries, coating them with a little sugar to draw out the juice, and spooning them over angel food I bought at Wal-mart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I prepped the berries on Friday and they’d been in the fridge since then, they were nice and juicy, just how I like them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate everything <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">al fresco</i>, which is fancy talk for “on the back porch.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Summer really is on its way!</span></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-14837429735226554052011-05-21T10:17:00.006-04:002011-05-24T10:18:13.758-04:00Grilled Pizza with Friends<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Tonight we entertained friends and celebrated the first signs of summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grilled Pizza is a recipe we discovered last summer in an issue of <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/">Cook’s Country</a> and it quickly became a family favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the kind of family favorite that The Rev and I kinda don’t want to share it with the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s that good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s pretty easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also meatless, which is a big reason why I chose it for tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our guests is vegetarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to do a meatless meal every week, but this week I had already done meatless—spaghetti and sauce on Tuesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a widening repertoire of meatless meals, but they have a couple if things in common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have quite a few pasta dishes we like, but we just did pasta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mexican is pretty easy to do meatless, but we just had Mexican on Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of soups I love are easy to do meatless, but the weather today just didn’t say, “Soup!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Same for homemade mac and cheese (and we had that the last time these friends visited anyway.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was getting a little desperate when I thought of the grilled pizza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not ideal for entertaining, but these are the kind of friends who don’t mind sitting on the back porch and watching the kids play in the yard while pizza after delicious pizza comes fresh off the grill.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">At our house, The Rev is the grill master, so this is a recipe we tag-team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do most of the prep (although he’s joined me in the kitchen for that part before) and he does the hard work at the grill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized last night that this dinner is the equivalent to brinner (breakfast for dinner)—when I’m making brinner, I don’t sit down to eat until the end, and the same is true for The Rev with this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we all hung out on the back porch together and had a great time talking and watching the kids play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also made a <a href="http://realmomreallycooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/last-minute-change-of-plans.html">Mixed Greens Salad</a>, so we had something to munch on while waiting for the pizza to come off the grill.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Our family easily devours one batch of this recipe, so I doubled it, making the dough in the food processor in two batches so as not to overload it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We actually had one pizza round left, so we cooked it untopped and we’re going to see how it keeps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll let you know how it goes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pizza tastes great right off the grill, so if you can, eat it that way; don’t try to hold it in the oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the interest of peace, we made two pizzas for the kids and fed them first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids don’t really care for the raw sauce in this recipe, so we just use regular pizza sauce for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also get shredded mozzarella, but Aldi carries fresh mozzarella year-round now, so we slice that and use it for the grown-ups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomatoes on the vine were on sale for an incredible $0.99 a pound at Aldi this week, so I went half-and-half, because I didn’t quite trust the taste of out-of-season tomatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The recipe in the magazine had instructions for using fresh tomatoes; basically, you just need to core, seed, and dice them, salt generously to draw out the excess fluid, and let drain for about 15 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a single recipe they call for 1 ½ pounds fresh tomatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went with 1 pound fresh and 1 can diced for the double recipe, keeping in mind we’d be making a couple of pizzas for the kids with regular sauce.</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Quick Grilled Pizza</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/">Cook’s Country</a>, </i>August 2010<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Makes four 9-inch pizzas</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don’t move the dough during the first minute of grilling or it will tear. Keep the first batch of cooked pizzas warm on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet in a 200-degree oven. If you like pepperoni, arrange 2 ounces pepperoni slices over each pizza after you’ve topped it with sauce. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin: auto auto auto 39.7pt; mso-cellspacing: 3.7pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 536px;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 38.94%;" valign="top" width="38%"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<b><i>SAUCE</i></b></span></div></td><td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 58.3%;" valign="top" width="58%"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<b><i>PIZZA</i></b></span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 2.62%;" valign="top" width="2%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 35.38%;" valign="top" width="35%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes<i> , drained well</i> </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup water<i>, heated to 110 degrees</i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 2.62%;" valign="top" width="2%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 35.38%;" valign="top" width="35%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tablespoons chopped fresh basil <i> </i> </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tablespoon <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=29"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">extra virgin olive oil</span></a><i> , </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">plus additional for brushing dough</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 2.62%;" valign="top" width="2%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 35.38%;" valign="top" width="35%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tablespoons <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=29"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">extra virgin olive oil</span></a><i> </i> </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tablespoon sugar<i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 2.62%;" valign="top" width="2%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 35.38%;" valign="top" width="35%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">garlic cloves<i>, minced</i> </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">envelope (2 ¼ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tsp.) instant or rapid-rise yeast<i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 2.62%;" valign="top" width="2%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">¼ </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 35.38%;" valign="top" width="35%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">teaspoon <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=61"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">salt</span></a><i> </i> </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 ¾ </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cups <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=21"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">all-purpose flour</span></a><i> , plus additional as needed</i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"><td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 38.94%;" valign="top" width="38%"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">¼ </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cup <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=589"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">grated Parmesan cheese</span></a><i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 2.62%;" valign="top" width="2%"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 35.38%;" valign="top" width="35%"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1</span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">teaspoon <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=61"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">salt</span></a><i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td nowrap="nowrap" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 2.62%;" valign="top" width="2%"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 35.38%;" valign="top" width="35%"></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 7.06%;" valign="top" width="7%"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 ½ </span></div></td><td style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #f0f0f0; border-left: #f0f0f0; border-right: #f0f0f0; border-top: #f0f0f0; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; width: 50.32%;" valign="top" width="50%"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cups <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=20"><span style="color: #d73a15; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">shredded mozzarella cheese</span></a><i> </i> </span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. MAKE SAUCE</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Combine tomatoes, basil, oil, garlic, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. PREPARE DOUGH</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Whisk water, 1 tablespoon oil, sugar, and yeast in large liquid measuring cup. Let sit 5 minutes. Pulse flour, Parmesan, and salt in food processor until combined. With machine running, slowly pour in water mixture and process until dough pulls away from sides and forms shaggy ball, about 1 minute. (If dough seems too sticky, add up to 2 tablespoons more flour.) Turn dough onto floured work surface and knead 3 or 4 times until cohesive. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. SHAPE PIZZA</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, press into small circle. Using rolling pin, roll and stretch dough to form 9-inch circle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and dust dough with flour. Repeat with remaining dough, stacking each round on floured parchment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. HEAT GRILL</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Meanwhile, heat all burners on high, covered, for 15 -minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium-low. (For charcoal grill, light about 100 coals; when they are covered with fine gray ash, spread over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place and heat, covered, with lid vent open completely, for 5 minutes.) Scrape and oil cooking grate. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. GRILL PIZZA</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Brush tops of 2 dough rounds lightly with oil. Peel rounds off parchment and place, oiled side down, on cool side of grill. Grill, covered, until undersides are spotty brown and tops are covered with bubbles, poking large -bubbles with tongs, 3 to 5 minutes. Brush each lightly with oil and flip. Top each round with one-quarter sauce and one-quarter mozzarella. Grill, covered, until undersides are spotty brown and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Move pizzas to hot side of grill to crisp, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining rounds. Serve.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(If you'd like step-by-step pictures of the process, you can find them by searching for this recipe on </span><a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: x-small; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Cook's Country</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">. You'll either need a subscription to the website, or you can sign up for a 14-day free trial.)</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnqHCatrVDs_AJg-iz3Tg3w2nQ6AKVn5E2OtxSwglhhy1ST-T-hBAdqA65CeuaLFPiXzf5f9bswfME0qJXEcxapcQqj0VVaeUp75aSaqunX4qIcSsVw8Z6C4slQj8cp9pCw9QSO3N8hmo/s1600/100_0655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnqHCatrVDs_AJg-iz3Tg3w2nQ6AKVn5E2OtxSwglhhy1ST-T-hBAdqA65CeuaLFPiXzf5f9bswfME0qJXEcxapcQqj0VVaeUp75aSaqunX4qIcSsVw8Z6C4slQj8cp9pCw9QSO3N8hmo/s320/100_0655.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the grill</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK1yeudijnjy5BKqgpJen2ol3kTUqboxndyD0c4VEC1HKtfhDJewUR4s-IBs9w3yUORTZsvUxPK2f3BQPcE1u1wGyq53fgyl8TbbExTO7_YcH7VP6H8SNZ-NO03ryLfkl0nbqp3GACXuv/s1600/100_0656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK1yeudijnjy5BKqgpJen2ol3kTUqboxndyD0c4VEC1HKtfhDJewUR4s-IBs9w3yUORTZsvUxPK2f3BQPcE1u1wGyq53fgyl8TbbExTO7_YcH7VP6H8SNZ-NO03ryLfkl0nbqp3GACXuv/s320/100_0656.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just before toppings are added</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0To56UGDEKyWOjhJc5BJAeIPcqD2y1mX28Sh0w3k-D2qA4faOIFHG6D_cITQfuqmRgOoF5I5eSacqvELrhouBwhqWJVJGvIP3B8AUl8w4MC-oBRMy7cU0PP3kq8KaAu5__Td-H1ZksQts/s1600/100_0653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0To56UGDEKyWOjhJc5BJAeIPcqD2y1mX28Sh0w3k-D2qA4faOIFHG6D_cITQfuqmRgOoF5I5eSacqvELrhouBwhqWJVJGvIP3B8AUl8w4MC-oBRMy7cU0PP3kq8KaAu5__Td-H1ZksQts/s320/100_0653.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bon appetit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We experimented with toppings a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sliced some mushrooms and green pepper very thin and The Rev cooked them on the hot side of the grill on heavy-duty foil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tasted great but next time I will pre-cook them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a little too much juggling for him to try to cook them on the grill, although he said if we had one of those grills with a burner on the side, it would be easy to do them that way.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">If you follow my menu-planning page, you know I had planned to serve strawberries and angel food cake for dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That will have to wait for another night because our friends brought dessert—individual peanut butter and banana cakes with vanilla ice cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yum!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div></div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-32087977920587156792011-05-19T08:22:00.000-04:002011-05-19T08:22:51.454-04:00Mexican Shell Casserole<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the best gifts we got for our wedding was a recipe book that was custom-made for us by good friends of ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom was the associate pastor of our church and Megan, his wife, knew how valuable tried-and-true recipes would be to our new household.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Megan assembled the recipes, Tom typed them all up, and they put them all together in a lovely binder with room to add recipe cards of our own as time went by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I go back to that book all the time—I have added lots of my own recipes, and adapted some of Megan’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This recipe comes from that book and started out great the way Megan wrote it—Mexican Stuffed Shells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original is a twist on traditional stuffed shells, filling jumbo pasta shells with a Mexican-style meat mixture and using salsa in place of spaghetti sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to make the original recipe, but once when The Rev was still in seminary, I wanted to adapt it for our weekly potluck on the seminary campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of filling jumbo shells, which can be time consuming and doesn’t lend itself to potluck-sized servings, I turned it into a casserole with medium pasta shells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, I’ve made some additions like Mexicorn (when I have it on hand) and tortilla strips sprinkled on top for extra crunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of my favorite meals to take to someone such as a new mother because it’s easy, it’s tasty, and it’s a complete meal when you put a little fresh fruit or a salad on the side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also freezes really well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just put it in the freezer before the final bake.</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mexican Shell Casserole</span></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 c. uncooked medium pasta shells</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 lb. ground beef</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 can diced green chiles</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1-24 oz. jar salsa (I use mild when I’m giving as a meal to someone else, but my family can take medium)</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">½ c. French fried onions</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 can Mexicorn (optional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have any tonight so I tossed a bit of corn I froze last summer in the water with the pasta for the last five minutes or so.)</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 ½ c. shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese (I used 2% sharp cheddar)</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tortilla strips (usually found in the aisle with salad toppings)</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Preheat oven to 350<sup>o</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cook the pasta according to package directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brown the ground beef and drain off excess fat if necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the beef is no longer pink, stir in the chiles (do not drain) and the salsa, watering down the salsa as necessary to approximate the consistency of jarred spaghetti sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stir in fried onions and simmer over low heat while you wait for the pasta to finish cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cook the pasta just to al dente; drain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a 9x13 baking dish, combine the meat mixture, pasta, Mexicorn if you are using it, and ½ cup cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Top with remaining cheese and scatter tortilla strips over the top (I’d guess I used about ¼ cup.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake the casserole in 350<sup>o </sup>oven until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">*If baking after casserole has been refrigerated or frozen and thawed, cover with foil and bake until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove the foil and bake 5-10 minutes longer to brown cheese.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tonight I served this with fresh sliced strawberries and of course a bottle of Tabasco for The Rev, who likes things a lot spicier than I do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a hearty meal, and the five of us had a little less than half the casserole leftover.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIzPq_Zi8sfthuXNnsYNjvf970pM8VY2p6PwH4pG2F6DAoCYXeuNB_QafR_bpamwrAKr1Ye9N6q7X_xaz5FrGKBTUkVvV4KU_-TkyaAqbuGyqcgDnGtOJK9UF1-kWXohzQ2O7s7VFbR2O/s1600/100_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIzPq_Zi8sfthuXNnsYNjvf970pM8VY2p6PwH4pG2F6DAoCYXeuNB_QafR_bpamwrAKr1Ye9N6q7X_xaz5FrGKBTUkVvV4KU_-TkyaAqbuGyqcgDnGtOJK9UF1-kWXohzQ2O7s7VFbR2O/s320/100_0646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meat mixture</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Vj3rfwVnfv5pJERa2YnOK5JEQF7_A2OvbiL_oYx6OKAvtiomT8AbVBEbSDXF9EnCZ8LgT3-4JqJYKE5Teg64q_V_DLpnA1FLZigDetGC57Zm-uZoRikDkq3EpOGgIFWyN4QGsG28X4XQ/s1600/100_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Vj3rfwVnfv5pJERa2YnOK5JEQF7_A2OvbiL_oYx6OKAvtiomT8AbVBEbSDXF9EnCZ8LgT3-4JqJYKE5Teg64q_V_DLpnA1FLZigDetGC57Zm-uZoRikDkq3EpOGgIFWyN4QGsG28X4XQ/s320/100_0647.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pasta draining--you can see the fresh frozen corn I tossed in</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0ylA6Yfup_4up-ipwtikNKN7BzgnzTICItDWtTtyo-Ewdwm1z4quEmUS7z4WuBlVToS_7PmBROhs9bg4i5OQ05_du0wiNnLWnwgU7dGP2GmS2JpB4RczHV01w97B3gYlPHOyEct9FxSp/s1600/100_0650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0ylA6Yfup_4up-ipwtikNKN7BzgnzTICItDWtTtyo-Ewdwm1z4quEmUS7z4WuBlVToS_7PmBROhs9bg4i5OQ05_du0wiNnLWnwgU7dGP2GmS2JpB4RczHV01w97B3gYlPHOyEct9FxSp/s320/100_0650.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the oven--this gives you a good idea of how many tortilla strips I used</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmL9zzaJTO62PpGKwllE8O91tZSnXXIAgfrTc6efzCS3UHBJcMWnCSp6jqwMIHZAITgiUqT8pCQYkwKp9GbbshLbaV9evky0CvFEZXwJAcqkXvdR2Oxu6Bia-XvpOHQM_9indcVmKYdHx/s1600/100_0651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmL9zzaJTO62PpGKwllE8O91tZSnXXIAgfrTc6efzCS3UHBJcMWnCSp6jqwMIHZAITgiUqT8pCQYkwKp9GbbshLbaV9evky0CvFEZXwJAcqkXvdR2Oxu6Bia-XvpOHQM_9indcVmKYdHx/s320/100_0651.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product. Delish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8285774884888353109.post-3936301421701962902011-05-18T16:08:00.001-04:002011-05-18T21:17:02.687-04:00Last Minute Change of Plans<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ever had one of those nights when you just didn’t want to make what was on the menu plan?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s usually bad news for me because it often means I hem and haw for too long and either end up with takeout or leftovers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s nothing wrong with either option every now and then, but when I can overcome the urge to give up and I figure out something else to make instead, it’s a little victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight I had Shrimp Stir-fry planned, but I wasn't really in the mood for it by the time four o'clock rolled around, which was good in that I hadn't thawed out the shrimp yet (so maybe I wasn't in the mood for it all day long...) and bad in that meant I had to come up with something equally fast. I think I had kind of overloaded on rice lately, which is not easy for me to do. Pasta is just as quick and easy as rice, so my mind went through quick pasta dishes. Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss? Nah. Just had a chicken dish last night. Spaghetti Bolognese? There’s some in the freezer, but the last time I made that it was the last meal I had before I got hit with a nasty stomach bug a couple of months ago. Not the bolognese's fault, but my stomach is still a little delicate from the bug I caught over the weekend, and I don't want to bring up bad memories (pun intended.) Spaghetti and just sauce? I briefly considered opening a jar of store-bought sauce I keep for "emergencies," but the homemade Quick Tomato Sauce from <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/">Cook's Illustrated</a> is so much tastier and it's really not much harder than heating a jar of ready-made stuff. The only thing that sometimes keeps me from making it is a lack of fresh basil on hand, but fortunately my FIL just helped me pot some last week, so I have a bit growing on the front porch. Dinner dilemma solved! The sauce cooks in the amount of time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. Here's my version of the Cook's Illustrated recipe. Their version calls for sautéing the onion in butter; I use olive oil instead to make it a tad more healthy for my cholesterol-ridden hubby.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Quick Tomato Sauce</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Tbsp. olive oil</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¼ c. onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater (will be juicy)</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¼<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tsp.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> dried oregano</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Table salt</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3 medium garlic cloves (CI calls for two put we like a little more)</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (CI's latest review picked Contadina as tops so I get them in bulk at Costco, but I’ve made this with generic and it was fine)</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¼<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teaspoon sugar</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ground black pepper</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">*This is one of those recipes that I don't measure for at all. I just eyeball everything. CI advocates <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">mise en place</span></em> when cooking, which means pre-chop, measure, and open everything before you start. I'm trying to do that and it really does make this recipe go more smoothly, but remember not to chop the basil until right before you add it or it will blacken.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat (I use my Dutch oven.) Add the onion, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; bring to a simmer over high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and oil; season with salt and pepper to taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serve over spaghetti, with salt, pepper, and grated cheese on the table to cater to individual tastes.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwXg0xn5zQmmdwUhtxIlPDSfK6Io4hLV73Jh0vvjIU3SJAtVFoc-5AzWkHMcdVn0HFQ5YGF03ScylRD7ZIQX8di_Pj7dYY6_IdGUjZRRYz3rgI7J1v6YCZcRtmPirTknwx2FKGflAkzJK/s1600/100_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwXg0xn5zQmmdwUhtxIlPDSfK6Io4hLV73Jh0vvjIU3SJAtVFoc-5AzWkHMcdVn0HFQ5YGF03ScylRD7ZIQX8di_Pj7dYY6_IdGUjZRRYz3rgI7J1v6YCZcRtmPirTknwx2FKGflAkzJK/s320/100_0636.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onion, garlic, and oregano just ready for the tomatoes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fRmBeFBwMr-wiaVQYylm_chwuBdQ6n9zLgaYfA8_QBtU3Mp1ecQUEs0170VRNlZtQVqgVMTIJXnnavlLhQhSjjBOY6SgWfiq0k9d1GRbFiF1MhYXXERe415_i_gfK3tQpe-QqyEe-4ql/s1600/100_0638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fRmBeFBwMr-wiaVQYylm_chwuBdQ6n9zLgaYfA8_QBtU3Mp1ecQUEs0170VRNlZtQVqgVMTIJXnnavlLhQhSjjBOY6SgWfiq0k9d1GRbFiF1MhYXXERe415_i_gfK3tQpe-QqyEe-4ql/s320/100_0638.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubbling away!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With the spaghetti and sauce I usually serve a salad and good crusty bread; garlic bread if I have it. Since I wasn't planning to have this when I shopped last week, we didn't have bread, but I did make my go-to savory salad. I try to always have these ingredients on hand.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mixed Greens Salad with Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For each individual salad:</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mixed greens, torn and washed. I really like the artisan lettuce that Aldi has been carrying for $1.99.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">About <span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><sup>1</sup></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">/<sub>3</sub> </span> medium tomato, chopped</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jarred roasted red pepper, snipped in the jar with kitchen shears to bite-size pieces</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chopped walnuts, toasted in the toaster oven at ~300 degrees until fragrant</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Crumbled gorgonzola cheese to taste</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Serve with light balsamic vinaigrette (We prefer Newman's Own, one of the very few things to which I'm brand-loyal.)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4ZHbrHJjYlHgVZf0zj3cjc_J0PX91Ofaft4uJckVsuY6Q2JyOsP_6gGyiT5tRJzw9qYNbPZQJMshy2iI8NXyzTOWzd7JwBC3zUtuLs0RJuZjmuF9pBvkFYz6bLmkePnI1zBeFezXTSDy/s1600/100_0639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4ZHbrHJjYlHgVZf0zj3cjc_J0PX91Ofaft4uJckVsuY6Q2JyOsP_6gGyiT5tRJzw9qYNbPZQJMshy2iI8NXyzTOWzd7JwBC3zUtuLs0RJuZjmuF9pBvkFYz6bLmkePnI1zBeFezXTSDy/s320/100_0639.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy salad!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydkuIwUe3HqVLZyPTrK29_y3d-MCScvP5pZSl-et3ijEHPa71-Z9yEI2bXww9p_slP0zKkApD1pXBeb_TczlKBKQlgVpjo49x_QKqm4-WC52KwDQhKoZILdzFIVPgEaaxs5yvlilZtwvo/s1600/100_0640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydkuIwUe3HqVLZyPTrK29_y3d-MCScvP5pZSl-et3ijEHPa71-Z9yEI2bXww9p_slP0zKkApD1pXBeb_TczlKBKQlgVpjo49x_QKqm4-WC52KwDQhKoZILdzFIVPgEaaxs5yvlilZtwvo/s320/100_0640.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salad ingredients</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With the exception of the dressing, all the ingredients for the salad come from Aldi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s nothing pricey in the spaghetti and sauce, either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this meal is the total package as far as I’m concerned—real, nutritious food that tastes delicious, is quick and easy, and pretty darn cheap to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually, the kids will just eat the pasta with cheese sprinkled on top, but last night all three—even the VERY picky 6-year-old—asked for sauce and declared it yummy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure what was going on with Mr. Picky last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also asked to taste the gorgonzola and said he LIKED it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What?!</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZQNh3yBt4pDnRGCR8jH2mDEarsbFUgfisu_vTwSmt5EuyaeezeeTLHynNJy8k4z3g-ptv7I-bh0ugZ0ZD_36r39GWsQPqBjZRCx8ndOA9CudNj7aGSk1QppmIm9RP5lWDRDvp_sswQCB/s1600/100_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZQNh3yBt4pDnRGCR8jH2mDEarsbFUgfisu_vTwSmt5EuyaeezeeTLHynNJy8k4z3g-ptv7I-bh0ugZ0ZD_36r39GWsQPqBjZRCx8ndOA9CudNj7aGSk1QppmIm9RP5lWDRDvp_sswQCB/s320/100_0645.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of leftovers for lunch or another supper!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08722859213653538529noreply@blogger.com0