Chicken Enchiladas and Mexican Rice

This is one of our favorite entrees. I finally found an enchilada recipe that we enjoy in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, doesn't look pretty, but it tastes good. Super easy and convenient to make. The Hub loves them.



Next, this was a new recipe. I found it in How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman[which is a very recommended book!] This was very easy to make and actually very tasty considering. I didn't expect much based on the recipe, which only had five or six ingredients and turned out to look pretty plain. But I assure you, the flavor was great. I will be making it again. Not the prettiest meal, but definetely yummy! I also served a side of corn on the cob, but you already know what that looks like.

Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry

I'm not sure why, but I have been on a huge curry kick lately. I make a new one just about every two weeks. This is one of the foods we have been introduced to since arriving on this lovely little island. I must say I love it, something about the spice and heat combined with the creaminess of coconut milk, yum! This particular recipe has pineapple in it, which added a certain degree of sweetness as well. I must say, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I served it over your typical long grain white rice. One of these days I'll buy some jasmine rice, however, they only sell it in large bags at the store, I'm talking like 20 lbs or something...so, I have no clue how I'd store it. Maybe one of those rice dispensers? Oh well, it's on the "list."


Thai Pineapple Chicken Curry

2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
1 quart water
1 tbsp to 1/4 cup red curry paste
2 cans coconut milk
2 skinless -- boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cans sliced bamboo shoots -- drained
1/2 red bell pepper -- julienned
1/2 green bell pepper -- julienned
1/2 small onion -- chopped
1 cup pineapple chunks -- drained

In a pot whisk together 1 can coconut milk and curry paste(to desired taste) and mix in remaining coconut milk, chicken, fish sauce, sugar, and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear.
Mix the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onion into the wok. Continue cooking 10 minutes until peppers are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in pineapple. Serve over the cooked rice

Spinach Stuffed Flounder with Lemon Chive Sauce

I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. It was very good and very simple. Just a simple stuffing of spinach, herb bread stuffing, egg, toasted almonds and some added herbs. After mixing you "stuff" it in flounder fillets, secure with a toothpick and bake. Super easy, right? Then top it with a sauce. I can't remember all the ingredients for the sauce but the main ones were obviously, lemon, chives, sour cream, whipping cream, mayo, and thyme.

Below is a picture of the fish after baking and before topping with the sauce.

This is the fish topped with the sauce.
And finally, plated. I served it with simple steamed green beans and Roasted Garlic and Herb couscous.

Apple Cream Cheese Ring

This is a Pampered Chef recipe I made the other night when we had company. It is one of our favorites.

Oatmeal Scotchies

I got this recipe from the back of the bag of butterscotch chips. They were very good I must say. I remember my father making oatmeal cookies from what seemed air growing up. We had nothing in the house it seemed and were craving sweets and he'd whip them up. I'd think "Where's the mix?" Oatmeal cookies are great in the way that you keep a few staples on hand and you can fix them for a quick sugar rush when desired. I really like the butterscotch in them since it is a nice mild flavor and blends nicely with the oatmeal. I told the hub raisins are a bit too bitter for me and chocolate chips are too sweet, so this was just right. Just a personal preferance though. This resulted in chewy cookies, which I prefer over crunchy. We almost finished the batch, all on our own, which is rare in this household. Needless to say, I would make these again.

The Hub's Meal: Pizza

Edited to say: This was made by my husband, he felt he didn't receive enough credit, so to all you readers: HE MADE IT. Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.....


Pizza is such standard fare in our family that, when making it, I often forget to take pictures. We do this once a week, this is the only[one of the few] break[s] I can get from cooking[edit:add pesto to the list]. We have done so many pizzas, always topping it with whatever is on hand. We've done your standard fare(pepperoni's, etc.) to odd toppings such as asparagus and fried greek potatoes. I usually make the dough, but I have showed the hub how to do that too, so, now he is self sufficient on pizza. He used to work at Dominos so he can slap out the dough more perfect and faster than anyone I've ever met, which is quite nice. Then there was a brief time at Uno's before he left for basic, which resulted in knowing how to make deep dish. Anyway, this is just the standard pepperoni, green pepper, onion, pineapples and jalapenos.

Thai Chicken Stir Fry Salad

Super-Size Turkey Meatballs with Spinach and Cheese

These were okay, could haved used more flavor. The sauce was pretty bland and tasteless, which could've been fixed[somewhat] had I been in a rush. It fed us, we were full, but that was about the extent of it.



Super-Size Turkey Meatballs with Spinach and Cheese

1 box frozen chopped spinach -- thawed (10 oz.)
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast -- (2 1/2 to 2 2/3)
1 medium onion -- finely chopped
3 garlic cloves -- chopped
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups milk
3/4 cup bread crumbs (3 handfuls)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (2 generous handfuls)
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil -- for drizzling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 package shredded provolone or italian cheese blend -- 8 oz.
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (eyeball it)
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley


1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Wring the spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place the ground turkey in a large bowl and make a well in the middle of the turkey. Add the spinach, half of the onion, the garlic, the egg, 1/4 cup of the milk, the bread crumbs and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined, then form the turkey mixture into 12 large balls, arrange on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO. Roast for 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO and the butter to the pan. Melt the butter, add the remaining onion and cook for 2 minutes, then whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk and the broth. Bring the liquid to a boil, then stir in the provolone. Season the sauce to taste with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
3. Place 3 turkey meatballs on each of 4 dinner plates and drizzle with the sauce; garnish with the parsley and serve.

Green Chai Tea Ice Cream

I made this the other day as the hub and I have enjoyed ice cream thoroughly lately. We both grew up in a home that always had ice cream in the freezer and ate it every night. We have had green tea ice cream, green tea gelato, chai "ice cream[rice]." It was made with rice milk, so would that be considered ice rice? hehe. The recipe recommended it be made with loose tea, however all I had was tea bags and was anxious to make it. So I made it double strength and it was good. I am anxious to see how it may have tasted with loose tea.



The recipe was your typical custard ice cream: one part cream, two parts milk, egg yolk, sugar. I added an extra egg yolk because after sitting at the stove for 1 hour, it wasn't thickening and I figured it wouldn't hurt. It didn't....thickened right up within minutes. Don't know if the recipe had too little egg yolks? It asked for four, most recipes I've seen ask for more. So I don't know. Anyway, this is the chilled custard mixture.






Here it is in the ice cream freezer.













This was the final result, well before I put it in the freezer. As you know, ice cream usually comes out in a soft serve type consistency. I gave the dasher to the hub to lick, he wouldn't stop. Before freezing, I swirled in some honey as an experiment, thinking it would be good. However, the honey overpowered the flavor of the ice cream. I don't think I will be doing that again.


THIS is the final result. Let me just say... it was good. I am anxious to try it with loose tea minus honey next time too. I think it'll be perfect then. This was a good learning experience. I am more comfortable with ice cream now. I grew up in a home where homeade ice cream was vanilla and the most exotic flavor would be to throw in some strawberries, peaches, or maybe oreo's. I used to be pretty intimidated by it thinkin it was science(which I guess it is to a certain degree), but it's actually quite easy to play around.

Sunday Night:Teriyaki Chicken with Warm Ginger-Carrot Slaw

Yet another Rachael Ray recipe. I have been inspired by her meals lately, maybe because I have a baby now and need something quick and "healthy" to feed my family. Plus she makes food seem so fun, not as fun as Alton, but fun enough. This recipe was good, I didn't get to take pictures of the process as I started it at 7 pm at nite after making a run to the store. We had a typhoon over the weekend(missed us by 60 miles), however they lockdown the base when that sort of thing happens and we were unable to leave our homes. So after a day of laying around in a dark house, I was feeling rather lazy, not wanting to cook.

I couldn't find savoy cabbage, so I improvised and used bok choy. They don't sell chicken cutlets at our store either, so I used chicken tenders instead. Hey, same type of meat right? When I first got married and was a young cook, I was under the impression that a recipe was absolute truth and you had to follow it verbatim, ingredients included. If I couldn't find an ingredient, or afford it I would just omit it from my options. So, anyway, I have since learned that that's not the case as I have become more confident and watched countless hours of Food Network. The chicken was your basic ho hum teriyaki chicken, the "slaw" was pretty good though I must say and I'll repeat it. I felt we needed something else, so I chose rice, we're very influenced by the culture here I guess. I just cooked some long grain rice in the rice cooker with chicken stock, chinese five spice and scallions. Turned out good. Simple enough. My family was fed and happy.


Teriyaki Chicken with Warm Ginger-Carrot Slaw
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
4 tablespoons vegetable oil -- eyeball it, divided
1 rounded tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) eyeball it in your palm
1 small savoy cabbage -- 1 1/2 pounds
1 bunch scallions
1 cup -- a couple of handfuls, snow peas
1/4 cup honey -- eyeball it
3 tablespoons cider vinegar -- eyeball it
3 tablespoons pickled ginger -- drained and thinly sliced
1 sack -- 10 ounces, 2 cups, store bought shredded/julienne cut carrots Salt and pepper
In a large plastic food storage bag, combine chicken cutlets with teriyaki sauce, 2 tablespoons oil and grill seasoning. Close bag and combine to coat evenly. Let stand 15 minutes. Preheat an outdoor or indoor grill or grill pan to medium-high.
Cut cabbage into quarters and cut away core. Shred the cabbage and set aside. Cut clean, trimmed scallions into 3 inch lengths. Pile scallions lengthwise and julienne them into thin strips. Pull the threads from the ends of snow peas and julienne into thin strips, lengthwise, like the scallions.
Drizzle honey into a small bowl. Add vinegar and combine with a fork.
Place chicken cutlets on grill or into hot pan and cook 3 minutes on each side.
Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add pickled ginger and cut carrots and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add cabbage and stir-fry 2 minutes more. Fluff and toss veggies with tongs so they stay dry and crisp while cooking. Add scallions and snow peas and stir-fry another minute. Add honey and vinegar combination, pouring it all around the pan in a slow stream. Cook the liquids down 30 seconds more then turn off heat. Continue to toss the slaw and season it up with salt and pepper to your taste.
Slice the chicken meat thinly on an angle. Mound up 1/4 of the slaw on each plate and place the sliced chicken along side, edging its way up the slaw salad. Serve immediately.

Tilapia with Tomatillos and Avocados Filled with Maque Choux

This is a Rachael Ray recipe out of her 30 Minute Meals 2 book that I made for lunch. I am not crazy about the tilapia that they sell at our store so I decided to substitute flounder instead. It turned out okay, although I am not crazy about tomatillos I have determined. Anyhow, here is a picture of my flounder searing, it turned out very nice, properly browned I though. I am glad I have outgrown my tendency to overcook meat. A side effect of growing up with my parents I suppose, who'd rather have meat way over done than risk dying from bacteria(who can blame them?) However, I have figured out a happy balance.

This is my prep work, pretty explanatory: red onions, jalapenos, garlic, tomatillos.







Here is the Avocado's being filled with the Maque Choux which was basically corn, red onion, jalapenos and other ingredients, I'll post the recipe at the end. This I must say was my favorite part of the meal as the creaminess of the avocado blended nicely with the corn. I was quite surprised as I am not the hugest fan of avocados. But this may've changed my mind.



Here is the tomatillos frying in the pan with red onion, jalapeno, garlic, etc. Basically, all the same ingredients, just done differently with different additions, kind of like Taco Bell, right? Although, they both tasted different.


And here is the final product...turned out pretty I thought. Don't think I'll ever make the fish again as I wasn't crazy about it and I don't believe my husband was either. But I will make the avocado's again if I ever remember.


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Guy's Cajun Alfredo and Garlic Bread

I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com after watching the episode. Let me just tell you, it is sooo good. We didn't get around to eating it until 8:30 because of my husband's new schedule, but it was well worth the wait. It's chicken in blackening seasoning, which adds amazing flavor to the chicken and it turned out very tender. I used check tenders instead of breast. The sundried tomatoes add just the right amount of sweetness and tang to the dish with the smokey chicken, richness of the sauce. YUM!!




Now for the garlic bread, was amazing as well. I used Parisian bread because I could not find sourdough and instead of mayo used Miracle Whip[as that is the only thing my husband will let near his sandwiches]. The Miracle Whip gave it just a bit of tanginess and you could taste the sweetness of the roasted garlic and the crushed red pepper gave it just the right amount of spice. It was very easy to make as well, you just mix the ingredients together: roasted garlic, mayo, butter, fresh parsley, italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Bake till melted and crispy.



And this was my husband's[first] plate.
He declared this a keeper and said there was nothing wrong with it(yay!).

Blueberry Sorbet

The Commissary now has blueberries on sale for $2 a pint, which is a great deal compared to the normal $4 for half a pint(maybe less). So when I ran into this, who was I to say no?? I bought 3 pints hoping to be able to make something and have some left to snack and give to a friend(didn't happen, but I'll be returning to the store). I found a recipe for Blueberry Sorbet on epicurious.com and decided upon that as I hadn't busted out my ice cream bowl attatchment since I made vanilla ice cream for the first time[probably 9 months ago]. This is my second time using it. I know my husband is staring at the missing $80 in the bank account that he hasn't quite gotten paid back yet in ice cream. In due time...

So, anyway, the recipe was super simple(moreso than I thought it would be). Just make a simple syrup, then put blueberries, syrup, and lemon juice into a blender, puree. Strain if you wish(I opted not to as I wanted it to taste more natural). Cover and pop in refrigerator till chilled. (I should've documented all steps more, however I am new at this blogging thing and forget what I'm doing when I'm in the kitchen). Anyway, four hours later and this emerges.....



So I place it in my mixer bowl, set it to stir and let it go for 30 mins. Easy, right?







This is the final result. It is very good, the blueberries were naturally sweet, so it turned out very sweet. Does not scoop as nicely as I had hoped, kinda falls apart in the ice cream scoop rather than the normal nice rounded scoops I am used to. Not sure why, but, maybe one day I'll know. If anyone has an answers, let me know! Otherwise, it was great, very fresh tasting.

Night Before Last: Tuscan Grilled Tuna

This recipe was from Rachael Ray, one of her better if I do say so myself. They had some sushi grade yellowfin tuna fresh at the Commisary. The recipe consisted of a "rub"[if that's what you call it] of fresh rosemary, parsley, garlic, grill seasoning, olive oil, and lemon zest. I think that was all. You zest the lemon onto your cutting board and pile the rest of the ingredients on top and chop away, when finished drizzle tuna with olive oil and rub ingredients into it and let sit for about 10 mins.




I also made stuffed portabello's on the side, thought I took pictures of it, but, apparently I didn't. Just one of the side effects of trying to cook while having two young ones. Anyhow, here I am prepping ingredients for the portabello's. Diced plum tomatoes, rosemary, parsley, and a few other things, wish I could remember. Portabello's were dipped in a marinade of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil[see small glass bowl on left]. Sprinkle with grill seasoning and place on grill, or grill pan in my case, and grill on each side for about 4 mins. Once grilled, fill with tomato mixture, top with mozarella thinly sliced and grill until cheese is melted. I have a Lodge grill pan, so I used that since we have yet to buy an outdoor grill[small hint to my husband if you are reading this!]. I tented it with aluminum foil to trap in heat.





Here is my handy crinkle cutter from Pampered Chef, also good for mincing herbs[rosemary in this case].




Now, back to the tuna.....

I grilled it for about 3 mins on each side, yet again on the grill pan(I have to admit, it is nice, even though it smokes up the house). We like ours pretty red in the middle so, I cooked it just enough to sear the outside and get those nice lookin grill lines on the outside.


And the final result....

Chicken Florentine Style

This is a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis, normally I have pretty good results with her recipes. This was very good except I burned the scallions and garlic because I was tending to my kids and not pay attention, also my skillet was too hot I believe. Whenever I do a meal that's primarily on the stove it really makes me want nicer pots and pans[Calphalon!]. That will come in due time though. This was good, but nothing to write home about, fairly plain. I substituted chicken broth for the white wine as we do not drink. I do not know the first thing about picking out a good wine. The sauce was okay, I think it would've had a better flavor if A: I knew anything about wine and B: my stuff hadn't burned and I was able to properly deglaze the pan with the browned chicken bits left. Oh well, maybe next time. We had a side of just cannelini beans and diced tomatoes seasoned up. Once again, nothing to write home about, not to mention my husband doesn't like beans.

Salads

I've been on a rather large salad kick lately for lunches. Sandwiches have grown old and you can only eat but so much Ramen, canned soup and other miscellanious convenience products. Although I know my toddler would much prefer boxed mac and cheese everyday. We'll see how long salads last.

It is expensive to keep 3 people fed, happy and full three times a day. Not to mention one is nursing and seems to eat more than a pregnant woman(see:me). I have actually gotten inspired enough[or sick of buying lunch meat to find it two weeks later uneaten with $4 wasted.] to start planning lunches. So I now cook two, sometimes three times a day, but such is life as a housewife. Not to mention my husband pays me well[kitchen appliances, pampered chef parties, unlimited grocery fund, eat out whenever, clothes...etc.]. What can I say? It's the least I can do. Growing up, salad used to consist of iceberg lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cheddar and ranch dressing. I had no clue there were different kinds of lettuce. So you can imagine my surprise when I started cooking on my own. Anyhow, what you see above is just a salad of mixed greens, organic baby spinach, green apple, craisins, carrots, sun dried tomatoes w/poppy seed dressing. It was quite good.