Chilly and windy here today, so this sounds good to me … You can use leftover chicken, maybe from a rotisserie purchase.
Slow food for a snowy day …
25 Feb 2013 1 Comment
Ingredients
| 4 | boneless skinless chicken breasts |
| 2 | cans cream of chicken soup |
| 1 | stick of butter |
| 2 | 15 oz cans chicken broth |
| 24 | oz. frozen egg noodles |
Directions
Cook chicken, soup, butter, and broth in crock-pot on low for 6-7 hours.
Take chicken out and shred.
Put chicken back in; add noodles and cook on low for 2 hours. Stir a few times while cooking.
Suggestion: Serve over mashed potatoes, with a side of green beans.
Cookie time!
22 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
It’s a snow day, lots of people are home. Let’s bake cookies!
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
adapted from here
yield: 30 cookies
ingredients:
12 ounces strawberries, hulled and diced (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
12 ounces strawberries, hulled and diced (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sucanat or organic, whole sugar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sucanat or organic, whole sugar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
instructions:
• preheat oven to 375*. line two rimmed baking sheets with a silpat pad or parchment paper (dough is very wet).
• combine strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of sucanat. set aside.
• in a large bowl, whisk the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, salt, and 7 tablespoons of sucanat.
• cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal.
• stir in the cream, using your hands, mix until the dough comes together.
• stir in the strawberry mixture.
• using a 1 1/2″ ice cream scooper, drop dough onto lined baking sheets.
• sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• bake until golden brown, about 22-25 minutes.
• let cool completely on baking sheet before removing.
• these are best eaten the same day they are made.
note: you can shape dough and freeze, then bake as needed.
Skinny Artichoke Dip
16 Feb 2013 2 Comments
in Recipes Tags: cooking, nibbles, recipes
My sister and a friend made the Chicken Chipotle Bites for lunch today and it reminded me that we haven’t had a recipe for a little while. So here’s another for the Playing for Time Test Kitchen!
Skinny Artichoke Dip
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 10 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 73.7 • Fat: 4.0 g • Carb: 4.8 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Protein: 4.5 g
Ingredients:
- 13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
- 2 tbsp chopped shallots
- 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs
- olive oil spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the shallots.
Combine artichokes, yogurt, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and top with breadcrumbs. Lightly spray the crumbs with olive oil then bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away.
Can be made one day in advance without the breadcrumbs and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Add breadcrumbs before baking. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Your unsuspecting guests will have no idea they are indulging in lightened up party fare. Serve this with baked pita chips, crostini or any low fat chip.
Lentil Stew
08 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Recipes Tags: cooking, lentils, recipes, stew, test kitchen, vegetarian
This sounds good today. Anybody want to try it and report back?
Lentil Stew
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
2 potatoes, diced
1 sprig fresh oregano or 1 tbsp dried
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 red pepper, diced
3 or 4 cauliflower florets, cut small
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large pot heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Add the lentils, potatoes, oregano and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils and potatoes have started to soften.
2. Add the red pepper and cauliflower and cook until the lentils and all of the vegetables are tender. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Note: The actual quantity of lentils was missing. It said “3/4,” but 3/4 what? Cup, package, pound? What’s your guess??
A Vegan Entry …
31 Jan 2013 3 Comments
in Recipes Tags: food, stew, test kitchen, vegan, vegetarian
This is for Miss Snarky Pants, who needs a vegan recipe in order to participate in our Playing for Time Test Kitchen. Here ya’ go, hon (and any other vegans/vegetarians among us) …
Mediterranean Vegan Vegetable Stew
Author: Leanne Vogel
Allergens: Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Yeast-free, Corn-free, Nut-free, Egg-free
Serves: 4
A one-pot meal that’s lighter than your average stew but just as satisfying. Like having a Greek salad in stew form!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups gluten-free, yeast-free vegetable broth
- 28 ounces whole tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups raw buckwheat groats, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 cups chopped eggplant
- 1 cup (300 ml jar) roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ½ cup black olives, pitted and sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion, shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add broth, tomatoes, buckwheat, vinegar, rosemary and marjoram. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer until the buckwheat is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the chopped eggplant 10 minutes in.
- When complete, stir in the roasted red peppers, spinach, and olives. Allow to cook until heated through, season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Remove rosemary sprigs before serving.
Some people!
31 Jan 2013 12 Comments
in My Thoughts, Recipes Tags: appetizers, cooking, recipes, test kitchen
A cheeky friend asked me yesterday if I’ve become Martha Freaking Stewart, just because she’s seeing recipes on my site. The sheer impudence made me laugh out loud. She knows I voluntarily surrendered my kitchen privileges when I married Kim, so of course the cooking thing does seem a bit suspect. The trouble is, what the heck else am I gonna do with 1,787 food & drink pins on my Pinterest boards, besides present them to my husband one by one with a hopeful look on my face? It’s unlikely that I’m going to work through the list on my own — I cooked for a solid thirty-five years, often for field hands and harvest help, and to quote the inimitable Madeline Kahn, “I’m tiiiiiired.”
Kim and I have actually put together quite a few of the ideas I’ve pinned, and rarely met with disappointment. HOWEVER. There’s no way we would ever get through them all in this lifetime … so I was thinking … we bloggers and friends could institute a sort of test kitchen amongst ourselves! Whaddaya think, huh? huh?? Fun, right?!
The only rule would be that if you make one of the recipes you find here or on one of my Pinterest boards, you MUST come back and file a report. Delicious, so-so, definitely not worth the time, that sort of thing. I’m hearing no objections! So … let’s start, appropriately enough, with an appetizer. GO!!
Chipotle Chicken Tostada Bites
inspired by Z’Tejas
Ingredients:
1/4 c. plus 2 TBSP chipotle salsa, pureed (I like Herdez brand)
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 avocados
zest and juice of one lime
2 TBSP red onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 Roma tomato, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 TBSP fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced (optional)
1/4 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
24 round tortilla chips
24 cilantro leaves, for garnish
Directions:
1. The night before serving, pour 1/4 c. pureed chipotle salsa over the chicken breast and allow to marinate, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Turn once during marinating time.
2. Cook the chicken, covered, in a saute pan. Allow to cool, then shred. Mix shredded meat with remaining two TBSP salsa.
3. While chicken is cooling, make guacamole by combining all remaining ingredients (except chips) in a nonreactive bowl. Mix together with a fork, leaving only small chunks. Adjust salt and pepper as desired.
4. Just before serving, top each chip with a generous TBSP each of guacamole and chicken. Top with a cilantro leaf and arrange on a platter.
A word of advice on these–wait to assemble them until the last second. The chips get soggy if the guacamole sits on them too long. Luckily, all the components will be fine if made the night before or morning of serving.
And for those whose tummies do not play well with cilantro, substitute creatively!
The halfway point …
30 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Graphics that Grab Me, My Thoughts, Recipes Tags: baking, breakfast & brunch, cooking, food, inspiration, weather
Good morning again! For those in the workforce, it’s Wonderful Wednesday — I hope your day will live up to its name. We have a light blanket of snow over everything and the cars out on the street are in creep mode. Seems like a good morning for staying inside and stirring something up with my blogging friends! These look good …
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
Assorted Mix-ins, chopped small, such as:
Cheese – cheddar, parmesan, pepper-jack or any other favorite
Meat – ham, sausage, bacon
Veggies – peppers, mushrooms, shredded spinach, green onions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, and black pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the muffin cups. Add Mix-ins to each cup {add lots}. Bake the frittatas until they are puffy and the edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Loosen with knife and serve warm.
Makes 12 frittatas
Note: To freeze frittatas, allow to cool completely and store in ziplock bag. Reheat for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes in the microwave.
Brought to you via Pinterest, courtesy of http://www.caramelpotatoes.com
If you make these, come back and let me know how you liked them — I haven’t tried them yet!
It’s a gray day …
29 Jan 2013 4 Comments
in My Thoughts, Recipes Tags: baking, Nutella, procrastination
And apparently gray days are just the ticket for …. procrastination! I have a perfectly decent blog post languishing in WordPad awaiting my loving touch … and I do look at it from time to time … occasionally jot down a thought or two … but Hey! Shiny!! I’ve discovered amazing bloggers since this morning! I promise to share them with you just as soon as ….
Say, you know what else gray days are good for? Noshing! Here’s a sweet lil’ recipe I tucked away on Pinterest months ago …
Buy Pillsbury crescent rolls, put a scoop of Nutella in each one, roll it up, roll it in cinnamon and sugar, then bake according to the package. Easily one of the best things I’ve ever tasted and SO simple you could write a blog post with one hand while you make ’em. They had me at Nutella.
Is it cold where you are?
28 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Recipes
Here’s a 5-Star idea from Recipes.com!
Hot Caramel Chocolate!
-
1/3 cup sugar
-
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-
1/3 cup water
-
6 milk-chocolate-covered round caramels
-
6 cups milk, half-and-half, or light cream
-
Whipped cream (optional)
-
Milk chocolate-covered and/or candy-coated round caramels (optional)
Directions
1. In a large saucepan combine sugar, cocoa powder, and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add candies; cook and stir until melted. Stir in milk. Heat through. Pour into mugs; top with whipped cream and additional caramel candies. Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information Per serving: Calories 213, Total Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 19 mg, Sodium 133 mg, Carbohydrate 29 g, Protein 10 g, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
And this …
27 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Recipes
Something cool from a Facebook friend:
PIG CANDY
Put foil on a cookie sheet & spread bacon in a single layer. Sprinkle brown sugar lightly over the top (sorry, I have never measured it) and bake it at 325 (or 350) until the bacon is done (about 15 min).
From The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner
Sunday Brunch
27 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
In writing mode this morning, with the bottomless coffee pot as my friend. I’ll be posting words soon. Meanwhile, here’s something nice for a Sunday morning:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 loaf brioche or challah (a French bread loaf can a used) sliced into 1 1/2 inches thick slices
- 8 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup pecans, measured then chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- (optional) maple syrup and powdered sugar for topping
Directions
- In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish overlapping if necessary.
- Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices.
- Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours.
- In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but don’t dry it out completely.
- Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- (Adapted from http://www.ezrapoundcake.com)
Playing for Time 
Join the conversation …