Spring is in the air! Easter is just around the corner. April the 12th to be exact. So, I have been thinking about brunch dishes to celebrate this joyous time of year.
3/16/09
Asian Noodles and Slaw
Spring is in the air! Easter is just around the corner. April the 12th to be exact. So, I have been thinking about brunch dishes to celebrate this joyous time of year.
2/6/09
Chicken Parmigiana
We (I) like to make a big deal out of Sunday dinners at our home. The table is set with special dishes and glassware, along with cloth napkins. I know some of you are saying CLOTH NAPKINS? Here is the usual conversation half way through dinner:
"Jacob, why are you wiping your mouth on your sleeve?"
"Because."
"Why don't you use your CLOTH NAPKIN??"
Heavy sigh, now a roll of the eyes, along with a quick swipe of the napkin.
Sunday is a special day, sure it is. Do you ever feel worn out from the "day of rest"? I know it's not suppose to be like that...lately I've tried to simplify our Sunday meal, and tried to get more cooking/prep done on Saturday. Chicken Parmigiana is a great do-ahead meal. Pounding (tenderizing) meat is not one of my favorite activities. So, I take the shortcut route (see tips below). This is yummy served with a Caesar salad, thin green beans, and crusty bread. My friend Kimi's sis in law told me about this great secret a while back: Ask the people in the Costco Bakery to sell you the crusty bread -frozen, then take it home and put it in your freezer until you are ready to use it. Bake it (right out of the freezer) for about 15-20 minutes at 450-500 degrees. I set it right on the baking rack in the oven. Thanks Becky.
With all of the time you'll save, you can wash those cloth napkins. Oh- If you have boys- just put them back in the drawer after the meal, you know they'll still be clean.
print recipe
2 to 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless, skinless*, about 4 large chicken breast halves
2 cups Panko bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs, or a mixture of Italian and Panko (my fav)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
Cooked Pasta - Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Penne
Marinara Sauce bottled or (no contest better) home made
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Flatten to 1/8 inch thick with mallet or rolling pin. Or skip this step and use *Costco frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts (see tips below). Combine Panko crumbs with grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl or shallow dish. Beat eggs in separate a shallow dish. Dip each piece of chicken into eggs, then crumbs. Heat olive oil in large non stick skillet, and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. With tongs, remove chicken to large greased baking dish. Place chicken in dish, top each piece with about 1/4 cup sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. If serving chicken later in the day, or the next day, cover with foil and refrigerate at this point. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with pasta and remaining sauce.
Marinara Sauce:
1 onion chopped
olive oil
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons oregano, dried
2 Tablespoons basil, dried
2 Tablespoons parsley, dried
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon sage
salt, pepper, Tabasco, sugar to taste. (I use about 5-10 drops of hot sauce, and about 1/4 cup of sugar)
Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add the undrained tomatoes, sauce and paste. Add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Simmer for 2-4 hours for best flavor. If you prefer smooth sauce, pour into a blender, and whirl just until smooth.
Tips:
-I like to use frozen *Costco Chicken breasts, to cut down on some of the preparation. Let the chicken thaw for a while in your refrig, then just slice in half so you end up with two long flat pieces of chicken. Costco's chicken is well trimmed, so there is hardly any waste. Make sure you don't let these thaw too much, they are easier to slice when still slightly frozen.
-If baking after refrigeration, add about 10 minutes to cooking time. Cover dish with foil and remove last 10 minutes of baking.
10/29/08
Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
print recipe
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper, at least a teaspoon of each
1 tablespoon tarragon
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
8-10 oz noodles
Place all ingredients except noodles in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for about 3 hours. Remove chicken and bay leaf. Take meat from bones, shred or dice, and return to broth. Add the noodles. Cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until noodles are done. Or, cook the noodles separately and add just before serving. Add chicken flavoring to taste.
10/27/08
Marinated Pasta Salad
Way back, when I had less cookbooks and more sense, I used one cookbook over and over. It was "A Pinch of Salt Lake". It was my close friend when we moved from Salt Lake to Portland, Oregon (mid 80's). Grant was in law school. Corrine ( two years old) and I spent a lot of time in our little apartment. I tried most of the recipes out in that book, and loved or at least liked the majority. Some of my fav's were: Layered Seafood Spread, Crustless Crab Quiche, Mexican Breakfast, Orange Glazed Crescent Rolls, Spinach Herb Twists, Asian Noodles and Slaw, Crepes with Crab and Spinach, Cold Lemon Chicken. The list goes on and on. Even after collecting cookbooks for over 25 years, POSL is still one of my favorites for consistently great recipes. This is a delish salad, easy, fresh. Sprinkling the dry Good Season's Italian over the veggies and pasta really make the flavor stick to all of the ingredients. You can change the vegetable to suit your taste. I like the olives, not only bc I'm an olive lover, but also for the color. Oh- one last thing - I think it's out of print now, but can always be found on ebay or Amazon.
Marinated Pasta Salad
Pinch of Salt Lake
1 lb pasta, any shape
1/4 of a Bermuda onion, chopped
1 yellow pepper, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
2-3 cups broccoli flowerlettes
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 large can pitted olives, whole
1 - .07 oz. package dry Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1-16 oz. Bernstein's Cheese and Garlic Italian dressing
Cook pasta according to package directions. Immerse in cold water, drain and set aside.
Wash and cut vegetables, place in a large bowl. Add cooked pasta and sprinkle with dry dressing mix. Add a generous amount of fresh ground pepper. Pour bottled dressing over all, toss and refrigerate. Just before serving, grate fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese over all of the salad.
Tips:
-If you are waiting more than 3 hours to serve, add the mushrooms and grated cheese just before serving.
-If you like the broccoli tender, and bright green, blanch before adding to salad.
What is blanching? Blanching is a cooking term that describes a process of food preparation wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process.
10/8/08
Foster Fam Favorite Mac and Cheese
Foster Fam Favorite Mac and Cheese
9/3/08
Spaghetti Margherita
I am in LOVE with this dish. It takes about 15 minutes to make- start to finish.
Get some crusty bread, make a green salad...could life get better than this?
1 lb. spaghetti, cooked "al dente", drained
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. Roma tomatoes (about 10-12) coarsely chopped or grape tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
½ cup grated Romano or parmesan cheese
Cook pasta; set aside.
In large skillet, heat oil and butter over low heat. Saute the garlic until fragrant over low heat, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add basil, and pasta to pan with tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just until all pasta is heated through. Just before ready to serve, pour into serving bowl, toss with fresh mozzarella and grated cheese. Serve at once with additional grated cheese, if desired. Serves 4-6.
8/20/08
Teriyaki Pasta Salad
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar, optional
1 – 1 lb box of pasta – any shape: Gemelli, Rotelle, Bowtie
1 large head red or green leaf lettuce ( I like red)
4 medium sized carrots, matchstick pieces, or 1 bag pre-cut matchstick carrots
3-4 cups tomatoes, chopped or grape tomatoes
1 cucumber or zucchini seeded and chopped
1/2 bunch green onion chopped (optional)
1/2 lb snow peas, cut into thin slices (optional)
Toasted sesame seeds
1/3 cup *Very Very Teriyaki Sauce (made by “Soy Vay”)
¼-1/2 cup canola, vegetable or olive oil ( I like canola best)
1-2 Tablespoons water
Chicken and marinade: Marinate the chicken for at least ½ hour in soy sauce and sugar. I like to use a gallon size Ziplock bag. Discard sauce after marinating. After marinating, cook under broiler for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. When cooled, slice chicken into thin strips.
Pasta: Cook Pasta, drain. Place Pasta in bowl. Pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce directly on to the pasta. Toss.
Veggies: Tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces. Place in large bowl. Add remaining vegetables. Shake a lot of fresh ground pepper, (not the wimpy kind) all over the veggies .
Dressing: Shake the Very Very Teriyaki really well. Mix about 1/3 cup of sauce with the oil. Whisk together, taste once the oil, water and teriyaki sauce are mixed together.
Tip: