Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

comfort food


Yesterday was a wonderful winter wonderland. After a long day playing in the snow, some comfort food was in order. For dinner we made blackened chicken breasts, saffron rice with diced red peppers, french cut green beans and I picked up some gumbo at the Gumbo Truck. Yes, you heard me right I said gumbo truck, Jazzbo's Rollin' Gumbo! We took a long walk and ended up at the truck (and the wine store) for some good eats and good wine. Did I mention that I love my neighborhood?

Cooking tip I just learned: When mixing up spices for your meal, make up a second batch, label it, and have it ready for the next meal! I've only been cooking for 25 years, you think I would have learned this one by now.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Provencal Food

I have to share this great recipe for a Provencal Omelette and Chicken with Mushrooms and White Wine. Two new yummy recipes I recently tried in that new WW cook book Momentum. I made this with the quickie Herbes de Provence that I whipped up. The herbs are drying out on the radiator for the real batch.

Provencal Omelette
prep 5 cook 5 serves 2

2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 tbs fat-free Half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
2 slices of high-fiber bread
fresh parsley

1) Beat the eggs, egg whites, half -and- half, salt and Herbes de Provence in medium bowl until frothy.
2) Heat oil in medium pan over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture and cook until underside it set. About two minutes.
3) sprinkle the tomatoes and cheddar evenly over half of the omelette. Fold unfilled half of the omelette over the filling and cover to cook until the eggs are set, about another minute.
Slide the omelette onto a plate and sprinkle with parsley: cut in half and serve with toast.

OMG, this is really-really good! I can't wait to have more tomorrow. Hmmm, maybe again for lunch?

I will add the other recipe later today, I gotta teach some kids now...

OH MAN, not one of us wanted to do school today! "Please, pretty please one more day" the 8 year old boy begged. But you know I am a tricky Momma and they did a lot of work without even knowing that they were actually learning. Ha. A trip to the bookstore for new reading books also helped get some good stuff going. My 11 year old has a reading gift, what I mean is that she reads to me and I fall asleep, it never fails every time, I conk out. My 20 minute nap was almost an hour long. Wow, this overcast day has be moving slow.

I have the old Sundays album "Blind" playing, this is not helping move faster. But dang I am feeling cozy.

Here is that Chicken Recipe I promised.

Chicken with Mushrooms and White Wine
prep 15 min, cook 45 min, served 4

4 5 ounce skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt (needs more)
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 pound mushrooms, halved
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of Herbes de Provence (I used a bit more)
1 tbs of all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
4 cups hot cooked whole -wheat fettuccine

1) Cook chicken in 1 tsp of the oil on medium heat, until brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to plate.

2) Add the remaining oil and mushroom to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, carrot, garlic, and herbes de provence. Cook just until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes; sprinkle with the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer. Add broth and whine and bring to a boil.

3) Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce the heart and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley, if desired. Serve with pasta.

This only got a good out of Don, the cute hubby, he said it was missing something. I think it needed more salt and better pasta. I had just used re-heated pasta, yuck. Lesson learned. But let me tell you in it's left over form it was nothing to complain about. After I eat all the chicken I added some green beans to the extra sauce and veggies and was in veggie heaven.

Enjoy.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Herbes de Provence

I have a new recipe book, The Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook. As I flip through it, I see a lot of recipes that call for Herbes de Provence. This was something that my girlfriend Suzanne found at a garden show years ago, and we bought a small package of it and fell in love. The next year I made up a big batch to give a holiday gifts for my posse. Here is a similar recipe that I found online. Today's chore (no chore at all) will be to whip up a new batch and to get cooking!

Recipe for Herbes de Provence.

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:
  • 3 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons dried savory
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons dried, crushed lavender
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1 1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed rosemary
Preparation:
Stir the herbs together and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Yield a bit less than one cup.

For those who need "an easy peasy-from the spice cabinet-in a hurry version" Rachel Ray had this...

2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence or dried parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, combined.

I will have to make both versions today since I need to dry the lavender and the rosemary. Off to my very cold garden for some clippings.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The Modern Pantry

As you may know I am on a quest to become a foodie! I am also trying to fine tune my life and create some helpful routines. I also could stand to lose about 30 extra pounds. Not an easy list to concur but I am chipping away at it.

On Saturday I started to create a pantry list, weekly menu and shopping list. I had a feeling it could take all day. My tooth had me a bit doped up and I was WAY fuzzy. I was also really cranky so doing something away from my family was helpful. I hate when I take it all out on them. I am a mess.

I was looking at my copy of Rachael Ray 365 and I realized what I need was a pantry list. A list of items that I always have on hand. She doesn't have one so I grab The Healthy Kitchen. There is one there but not in the right format I need a bulleted list that I can copy that I carry to the Groc (what I call the grocery store). A list that I have on my fridge so when I run out of something I just circle it and buy on the next shopping trip.

I need a cheat sheet! First I found this list at Cookinglight.com that I think I will love. It has three panty list one for the beginner, the intermediate and the advance cook. I like that the say that the list is long and that you are not expected to go out and spend a fortune right away. Good point.

I then found this Mexican Panrty items list. Yum! Summer eating = Mexican Food!!! I wonder if I could find a Mediterranean food pantry list? Yep, it took some time but I found a nice little list for the Mediterranean Pantry

I totally forgot about Leanne Ely. I know her from my active Fly Lady days. I am sure that her list is great but it is not in the list format that I need so badly. Here is the fly lady shopping list. back in those beautiful and peaceful flylady days.

I have made copies of each of these for my kitchen clip board. I have also started a master list that I hope to finish over the weekend. Baby steps, right? What I have done is found my old shopping list and I am using it. Yeah balance will come!

Monday, January 22, 2007

stupid cooking tip #1



Stupid cooking tip #1 --- do not check for comments on your blog while making breakfast. This is what will happen.

Oh yeah I am up for housewife of the year! hee hee hee!

BTW check out these great photos from Vintage Film. They are burnt breakfast worthy!