Raid the Frig dinner!

It was one of those days. We had a "dump" dinner. Whatever I had in the vegetable drawer, was dumped on a baking sheet and roasted. Mixed in with some pasta and some ricotta cheese. Makes a quick, easy dish. We had ours with grilled French-style sausage. The kids had theirs with meatballs from the freezer. Anything goes in a dump dinner :) This one had roasted cauliflower, grape tomatoes, shallots, garlic and white mushrooms. Reserve some pasta water to mix in to thin out the ricotta a bit.




Roasting Vegetables

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower, shallots, garlic and whatever other vegetables you like with about 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast about 25 minutes or so, until lightly browned and tender, tossing them once after 15 minutes.

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Gorgeous day, delicious dinner!

This is one of our favorites for the grill. So much flavor! and very easy. I like to stick with the easy recipes. My chances for success are much greater! This one is a sweet-hot, with a real nice kick! I took the skin off, and it still grills up with a nice crispy, crackling crust and very moist, as long as the chief griller remembers to keep the dial set to "Medium" and not "Call the Fire Dept" cooking on high flames!

I have no notes on this one, it was great exactly as written. Must not have screwed this one up or else I'd have made a note. That usually doesn't happen, I'm pretty big on leaving a step or two out of things because sometimes I have the attention span of a flea. Anyway, I've used both the orange and the pineapple juices, I use whatever I have on hand, either one would be good. Tonight I used orange juice. I know nothing about Tequila except from my days of college, way back when, and now I just use Jose Cuervo, probably the cheaper one. Great in a sauce, not in a glass as far as I remember! Sides were Cucumber Salad and Ina Garten's Guacamole Salad.



Tequila-Glazed Chicken with JalapeñoBon Appétit, August 2007
Molly Stevens
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, coarsely ground in spice mill or mortar with pestle
1 3/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) cut-up (best of fryer) chicken
1/3 cup orange juice or pineapple juice
1/4 cup gold or silver tequila
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 to 2 red jalapeño chiles with seeds, finely chopped
1 shallot, minced
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Mix coriander, salt, and red pepper. Sprinkle mixture all over chicken. Arrange chicken, skin side up, on baking sheet; cover and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.

Combine orange juice, tequila, brown sugar, honey, 1 jalapeño, and shallot in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Add 1 more jalapeño if more heat is desired. Cool glaze. Transfer 3 tablespoons glaze to small bowl and set aside for serving.

Spray grill with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Arrange chicken, skin side up, on grill. Grill 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush chicken with glaze in saucepan. Turn chicken over; brush with glaze. Grill until juices run clear when pierced with fork or until instant-read thermometer inserted into chicken registers 170°F, turning and brushing occasionally with glaze, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to platter. Spoon reserved glaze over.

For the Cucumber Salad I cheated with this one, I used Simple Syrup from Trader Joe's just because I had a bottle I bought to try. Worked out great.

Cucumber Salad
Printable Recipe

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 large hothouse cucumber, peeled and sliced very thin
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

In a small pan, combine sugar and water; cook over medium heat, stirring, until liquid boils and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add the rice vinegar, pepper and salt. Place the sliced cucumbers, and onions in a bowl, pour marinade over; stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

and Guacamole Salad, this one from Ina Garten, so good, I didn't change a thing!



Guacamole Salad
Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa, Food Network)
Printable Recipe

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup small diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (2 peppers)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.
Just before you're ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

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Just a heads up...
Mother's Day is coming soon, on Sunday, May 10th. Barb from Foley's Follies is hosting a fun Mother's Day event. She mentions it on her brownie post! It looks to be a very special event! Please feel free to check out her blog in the coming days when she posts her Mr. Linky so you can join in if you're interested! Even if you don't join the event, check out the brownies on her post, they'd be great with a tall glass of ice cold milk :)

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Wontons for Dessert!

It's Friday! Time for a flashback with Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet blog. I'm flashing back to a really delicious dessert. I love dessert, be even better if it came at the beginning of the meal. but no big deal, there is always room for a little something. I first tried this recipe for dessert ravioli's and the kids loved them. Made them once way back when and that was that, on to the next experiment! Fried Banana Ravioli with Vanilla Custard Sauce from epicurious is a really fantastic dessert and makes a great impression. Definitely gets the "oohs" and "ahhs!" I betcha can't eat just one, or even two! This is really good stuff.

Then I tried this one, called wontons instead of ravioli, but very similar to the epicurious recipe. This one is from the Cooking Forum. Also very easy! Use any sauce you like with it!


Banana Won Tons
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Source: Cooking Forum, AnnT
Printable Recipe

24 wonton wrappers
2 bananas
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon water
chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
oil for frying
powdered sugar

Optional: caramel sauce and ice cream

Place 12 won ton wrappers on a board. Slice each banana diagonally into 6 pieces.

Place one slice on banana on each wonton wrapper and sprinkle with brown sugar. Top with some chopped nuts, if using.

Mix together flour and water to form a paste. Brush a small amount of paste around the edges of wonton wrappers.

Top with remaining wrappers and press edges to seal. Deep fry in hot oil until golden and drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle wontons with icing sugar or serve warm with a caramel sauce or ice cream.
  

Joining

 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

 

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Vegetable Garden Stir Fry

Chicken with Cashews is a really flavorful recipe by itself, but when you have young kids you might add vegetables and whatever, hoping they'll at least try, and maybe even like them. So my kids tried and ended up liking them. They turned out to be pretty easy going when it came to vegetables. Fish and dairy, another story, but we're working on it.

I took this really excellent recipe from Good Morning America, and this time I added water chestnuts, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, carrots, and snow peas to whatever else was listed in the recipe. Bok Choy and baby corns are also good in it. It's turned out to be pretty much a vegetable garden stir fry, you can really put whatever you like in, use whatever nuts you like. I make it much more saucy!

Chicken with Cashews
Good Morning America (Charlie Gibson)
Printable Recipe

4 tablespoons wine vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
14 ounces raw boneless skinned chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons oil
3 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger OR 1/2 teaspoon dried
LOTS OF CASHEWS
4 cups cooked rice

Mix together vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar, set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok. Toss chicken pieces in cornstarch, then stir fry them 5-7 minutes until cooked.

Remove from pan and add onion, garlic, red pepper, and ginger. Stir fry 15 seconds.

Add vinegar mixture, cashews, chicken, stirring to coat chicken, about 2 minutes. Serve over rice.

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Easy Baked Ziti

Tonight we had Easy Baked Ziti with Baked Meatballs. Remember, I go for the easy way, not so much how everyone else might make their baked ziti. I mix mostly everything in one bowl and then dump in the baking dish. I guess it could be called One Bowl Baked Ziti! Miss Picky likes it, and she doesn't eat cheese most of the time, so who am I to argue? It was her pick what to have for dinner tonight. I thought I'd be nice, vacation is over and we're getting back to routine. Six in the morning wake -up! Welcome to Monday! It's been a nice week while it lasted.

and my friend Kathleen, of Cuisine Kathleen, I know how much you love dogs, by the way, my dog Chip has very good table manners! He's just looking!

You can make your own sauce, or just buy a jar, we like Prego, Victoria brand or Rao's Marinara or you can even make your own jarred Rao's sauce, like from the Rao's Cookbook. All good.

A nice dessert to end the meal is Zabaglione with fresh fruit. I didn't make it, but it's still a nice dessert! We went out for Italian ices. Also a nice way to end a meal!


Easy Baked Ziti
adapted from the millions of recipes out there
Printable Recipe

Marinara sauce
Ricotta cheese (more or less depending on how cheesy you like it!)
Mozzarella cheese (I used shredded. Use whatever you like.)
One large egg (I like it with the egg, I know some who don't use it.)
Grated parmesan cheese or parmigiano-reggiano
1 pound box Ziti pasta, cooked al dente and drained

Take a big mixing bowl, add the egg with a small container of ricotta, use a larger container of ricotta if you like, but then add another egg if you like. Mix some grated cheese in to the ricotta and egg and then mix the ziti noodles in to the cheese mixture. Coat the bottom of a large baking dish (9×13 dish) with some marinara. Put some of the ziti cheese mix on top. Sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella, then a little more of the sauce to cover. Another layer of the noodles, some more sauce, then layer the top with the rest of the mozzarella.Cover with sauce lightly and some thin slices mozzarella. Pile the rest of the ziti mixture on top of that layer. Bake at 350 until cheese has melted, bubbly and lightly beginning to brown.



I never baked my meatballs before, but it sounded like a good idea. this one got great reviews over at the cooking forum. O f course I never follow exactly, and somewhere along the way I got distracted, so there is no onion in mine. No veal or pork. I forgot to add it to the list. and I decided to be nice to Larry and not send him out for the third time today! The guy at the grocery knows he'll see him at least two more times after the first list! If they had a cell phone signal in the front of the store it might save a couple trips. but I doubt it. I didn't read the whole recipe and used eggs, not just the yolks. I used white bread soaked in the milk, instead of bread crumbs. I guess same difference, it squishes very well! I didn't roll them in bread crumbs, I threw them in a pot of sauce to simmer for a while.
Baked Meatballs
recipe from Marilyn (DanaIN - Cooking Forum)
Printable Recipe

3/4 + 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup heavy cream (or milk)
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal or pork
1 onion; minced
2 cloves garlic: crushed or minced
1 teaspoon each; oregano, basil, parsley
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon table salt)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks

Combine 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs with milk; let set for five minutes. Stir together onion, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, egg yolks and bread soaked in milk. Fold in meats and shape into 1/4-cup balls and roll in remaining bread crumbs. Place a rack inside a baking dish sprayed with Pam leaving a little space between each meatball. Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 425° until they reach an internal temperature of 160°. Do not over bake. Makes about 20 meatballs. These are very tender and juicy.
These are also good simmered in sauce after baking. If desired, omit bread crumbs on the outside.

Zabaglione
by Tyler Florence

4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
8 long-stemmed strawberries
Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until foamy. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch the water, and continue to whisk constantly. Gradually pour in the Marsala while continuing to beat - don't let it boil. Keep working-out that arm and whisk vigorously for a good 5 minutes, until the custard has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow.
Spoon the zabaglione into dessert bowls and serve with fresh strawberries.

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It was a nice day, we all sat down together, and we ate early. That doesn't always happen these days! I'm ready to face the week!

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Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

I found this excellent grilled chicken recipe on the blog Simply Recipes a couple of years ago, maybe longer. We loved it the first few times I made it! I mean my kids really raved about it, even the picky one! and it's been a long time since I made it again, and it was such a nice afternoon here, perfect for grilling, our dinner menu was set. This is a great recipe. The grilled chicken is great on it's own, but once you put the sauce on, it's fantastic! The Salsa is from there, too! Perfect with the chicken.


For the sauce I adapted the original recipe a bit. I used chicken stock instead of water, added cumin and chili powder, few drops Tabasco, some fresh lime juice, couple of fresh jalapeño's, 4 cloves garlic and I needed it to serve a lot so I added more black beans, 3 cans total. Pureed the whole thing, then added in the bay leaves. Simmered for about an hour and a half. I used thin sliced cutlets because they take no time to cook, and some skinless, boneless thighs. but I did cook them about 15 minutes at 350 and then finished on the grill. I did not re-use the marinade at all because I forgot. It marinated about three hours in the frig and the flavor was great, even without using the marinade on the grill. Leftovers for lunch tomorrow, the grilled chicken will go in a salad and the Black Bean Sauce will go in a soup bowl with a little sour cream and some more Fresh Tomato Salsa! Thanks to Elise at Simply Recipes, your recipes are delicious! I made some changes, the original recipes are at Elise's site.

Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
adapted from a recipe from Elise @ Simply Recipes blog
Printable Recipe

For the Grilled Chicken:
Juice of 4-5 limes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (more to taste) chopped fresh cilantro ( I used less)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (worked well with thighs and skinless drumsticks, too!)
1 red onion, halved then sliced into 1/4” strips

For the Black Bean Sauce:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained, rinsed (I used 3 cans total)
1 quart water (I used chicken stock)
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4)
Stems from one bunch of cilantro, chopped into 1/4” bits (approx. 1/2 cup)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, oregano, salt and pepper in a glass bowl and mix well. Trim the chicken breasts, then add to the marinade. Cover lightly and marinate, turning the chicken occasionally, for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Prepare Black Bean Sauce while chicken is marinating. Place beans in a large sauce-pan or soup pan, and add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours. Add additional water if needed. Remove bay leaves, and then transfer the bean mixture to a food processor. Process well, adding water if needed to make desired consistency.

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and prepare grill. Place the red onion slices in the bottom of a shallow, oven-proof dish, then cover with chicken breasts and marinade. Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, then bake for 15-20 minutes (only until the chicken is opaque). Remove the chicken breasts and onions to a platter and set aside.

If you like the onions softer, heat a skillet with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onions over medium heat until they are soft.

Place the chicken breasts on the grill. Grill until they are thoroughly cooked through but still moist. Remove to a platter when it's done cooking.

Serve the chicken with the red onions, drizzled with the black bean sauce. Garnish with sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, fresh salsa, whatever you like.


The Salsa
I grated the jalapeño's and serrano's on a microplane because it mixed it nicely and the heat blends in instead of my poor kid getting a chunk of jalapeño in one bite. Besides, I keep them in freezer so I have some when I need them and they grate really well frozen. I use a lot less cilantro than the recipes called for because my kids think it tastes like soap in large doses!

and how do you dice a tomato anyway? I tried, but it still tasted really good. So much for a dice, chunks work:)

Fresh Tomato Salsa
adapted from a recipe from Elise @ Simply Recipes
Printable Recipe

2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes, stems removed, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
1 Serrano chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop up 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes. Prepare the chilies. Be very careful preparing the hot peppers. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. If the salsa isn't hot enough, you can add as many as you like for more heat.

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Give it a taste. I add less heat at first, you can always add more.

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Not your average Grilled Cheese Sandwich...

Another gorgeous day, so I went out this morning to run some errands, then come home, sit back and have my all time favorite grilled cheese sandwich! The kids were not interested one bit, they left with their friends. They saw the alfalfa and headed out the door.

There was a coffee house I used to go to with my friends, way back when. They had all kinds of board games, books, and really mellow music. Tchotchkes all over the place, corny signs. Best Mochachino's I ever had, but thinking back I'm sure it was really General Foods International Suisse Mocha coffee with a little Reddi Whip on top. Remember those powdered hot coffee drinks, in the small red tins? Same. A little whipped cream swirled on top. Same. Their best sandwich, at least the one that had the most recognizable ingredients for me at the time was their grilled Jarlsberg on pumpernickel with fresh sliced white mushrooms and alfalfa sprouts.



The place no longer exists except in my memories, but every once in a while I'll see the alfalfa sprouts at the grocery and just have to have one of these sandwiches. That would be today! I couldn't find the pumpernickel but it was just as good with a nice french bread. I should have bought the Suisse Mocha!



Grilled Jarlsberg on Pumpernickel with White Mushrooms and Alfalfa Sprouts
adapted from a sandwich from an old coffeehouse menu!
Printable Recipe

makes one sandwich.

2 slices pumpernickel or Rye or any kind of hearty, crusty bread you like
4 slices of thin-sliced Jarlsberg cheese
alfalfa sprouts
2-3 large white mushrooms, sliced thin

Take two slices of pumpernickel and add a slice or two of Jarlsberg on each side. Put it on the top rack of the oven, and put some foil on the bottom rack in case it melts off the bread. Bake it for a few minutes at 350º F until the cheese is melted. Then top it with alfalfa sprouts and slices of fresh white button mushrooms, close the sandwich, squish it together and there you have it!
Sometimes simple is the best!

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