Day 33 - Chicken with Rice

     I found this recipe card for Chicken with Rice among my cookbooks today.  I remember my mom making it and really wanting to know how to prepare it.  She gave me the card, but I never received a personal cooking lesson.  I make it sound like it's complicated when it took me all of 10 minutes,  I think to put the ingredients into the pan.  I'm all for easy, especially when it comes to busy nights with various family activities; there's nothing better than being able to pull something out of the freezer that's already been prepared, some crock pot recipe that I can start in the morning, or a dish that takes little time to prepare and will be done by the time we arrive home (like the lasagna, but you probably want to make sure you cover it, so that it doesn't become crusty like mine did ;-) ).  Hmmm...that reminds me, what do I make for dinner tomorrow night?
     Chicken with Rice
     1 cup uncooked rice
     1 chicken-cut up
     1 pkg. onion soup mix
     1 can cream of chicken soup
     1 cup sherry
     1 cup water

     Place rice in 2 qt. casserole, cover with water and wine. 

Place chicken over rice (in one layer if possible).  I used boneless chicken breasts.

Sprinkle with onion soup mix.

Cover with chicken soup.

Cover and bake at 325ºF - 350ºF for 1-2 hrs.  Remove cover; brown 30 minutes longer.

     It is an extremely simple recipe, but somehow, I managed to screw it up. Haha  Ok, not really funny.  As I said, I used the boneless chicken breasts, so I knew it should be in the oven or thought it should be in the oven for a different amount of time than it called for.  I started it at 350ºF for 30 minutes at which point I removed the cover and turned the heat up to 375ºF for another 30 minutes.  Why, you ask?  Um, because it was already 6 o'clock when I started to make dinner and I didn't have 1½ - 2½ hours to wait.  I have teenagers, remember?  And one of them is a boy.  So I figured before they filled up on snacks, I'd better speed dinner up.

     The chicken was delicious, very tender and flavorful because of the sherry, soup and onions.

 HOWEVER, the rice was a tad bit underdone and a little crunchy.  Next time, I'll probably use chicken breast again, but will bake for the allotted time at the temperature I'm supposed to.  The family liked it even though the rice was crunchy.  I'm still trying to pick bits out of my teeth.   The rating: on a scale of 1 to 4 rolling pins, I give this a 2½ because of the rice.  

     Happy baking!

Day 32 - Pound Cake

          "And the Oscar goes to..."  I love watching the Academy Awards, seeing the stars in their gowns and tuxes and predicting who's taking home what award.  Now I have to rent those movies that I didn't even know were nominated, and the ones in which the various actors and actresses were nominated. 
     Next Sunday we're watching the All-Star episode of 'Chopped' on the Food Network.  Ok, it's a plug I'm not getting paid for, but I'm so excited about it, I can't keep it to myself.  They are going to have the judges be the actual chefs competing against one another.  This is something I've always wanted to see since the show started.  What would the judges do with the basket of mystery ingredients they are given?  I wonder who will be judging them?  I cannot wait!  Even my husband's excited for it which, if you know my husband, says quite a bit.   For him to be excited about a show that doesn't have men chasing after some type of ball or men dressed in striped shirts with whistles or guys running madly to get home is pretty amazing.  But he watches it every week with me.  It's actually the one show each week that we will not miss.  There's always been a show like that.  Back in the day, it used to be 'Hill Street Blues', then the reruns of 'St. Elsewhere', then 'Seinfeld', 'The Sopranos'.  You know what I mean.  That one show you sit and watch each week, and then you're disappointed when the episode is over because you know you have to wait another whole week until the next one.
     Tonight I made pound cake.  The recipe is from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, p. 571; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

     Pound Cake  (makes a 9x5-inch loaf)
     ½ lb. butter
     1 2/3 cup sugar
     5 eggs
     2 cups cake flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon mace

     Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Butter and lightly flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  Cream the butter, slowly add the sugar, and beat until light. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each in well. 

Stir in the flour, salt, and vanilla or mace, and combine well. 

Spoon into the pan. 

Bake for 1¼ - 1½ hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack.  Serve very thin slices.

     Why would I want a thin slice?  I cut the end piece off just to give it a taste test and to make the next slice even for the picture I wanted to take (it's a good excuse, don't you think?).  After tasting, I decided I wanted a much bigger piece.  No thin slices for me, thank you very much.  I never used to cut thin slices when I'd buy the Sara Lee pound cake either.  Why start now?  And especially if it's homemade deliciousness.  Can I tell you, (well, I'm going to tell you anyway) that after eating that homemade pound cake, I will never, never buy another Sara Lee pound cake again.  They have unfortunately lost my business; it was that easy to make and that good!  Oh my goodness!  It was delicious plain, but it was also extremely delicious with the strawberries and whipped cream I put on it to make strawberry shortcake. 

And there's plenty of all of it left, so when everyone's at school tomorrow and my husband is at work, guess what I'll be eating?  Hee hee.   I didn't even use cake flour as it said and it was still to die for.  I can't imagine what if would taste like if I had used it.
     The rating for the Fannie Farmer pound cake recipe:  4 rolling pins!  This one's a winner!!  A great and easy dessert to serve to guests or just to eat yourself, like me, tomorrow.  Yeah, not really looking forward to that weigh-in this week.  Oh well, just a little more needed exercise to work it off.

     There he is watching me again.  He looks angry, but he squints whenever I use the flash.

Happy baking, everyone!

Day 31 - Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

     This family LOVES this meal!  It is easy to make, too.  The step that takes me the longest is shredding the chicken, so once you're through that you're golden.  This recipe is enough to serve 5 people.

      Ingredients

     ½ lb. chicken breast

     ½ cup barbecue sauce

     8 medium soft flour tortillas

     12 oz. shredded Monterey Jack/ Cheddar cheese

     2 tomatoes, diced

     1/3 cup minced red onion

Preheat oven to 375º.  Brush chicken breast with barbecue sauce and grill til cooked through.  Unfortunately, I can't tell you how long to do this on an actual grill because I haven't mastered our outside grill.  I use that and everything's charred on the outside and raw on the inside.  So, I use my George Foreman Grill and it cooks in about 5-7 minutes.  I love that thing!  It's great when I'm in a hurry to make dinner because it cooks things in no time flat.          

Cover two cookie sheets with tin foil (this makes clean-up so much easier, especially since the cheese will melt) and place two tortillas on each.  Spread 1/4 cup of cheese over each tortilla.  Once chicken is cooked, shred it using two forks.

Spread chicken evenly over the four tortillas.  Divide tomatoes among the tortillas and spread. 
Add diced onion to each tortilla and then cover each with remaining cheese.  Cover with four tortillas.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.

Oh boy, I deleted the picture of the finished product.  Obviously, I hit a button I wasn't supposed to.  I'll see if I can find it and post it tomorrow.
     I have a rating system of 1-4 rolling pins: 1 being horrible, we couldn't stand it, definitely don't recommend it, and you're on your own if you decide to bake it, and 4 being absolutely loved it and cannot get enough of it, you need to bake this!  My grilled chicken quesadillas are rated a 3½ rolling pins.  They are really good and I make them at least twice a month because they're easy.
     Happy baking!

Day 30 - Snickerdoodles

     Sssnnniiiccckkkeeerrrdddoooooodddllleeesss.  I love that word.  Isn't it just awesome the way it rolls off your tongue?  Try it.  You need to say it slowly enough in order to get the full effect. 

SSSNNNIIICCCKKKEEERRRDDDOOOOOODDDLLLEEESSS

It's so much fun to say.  I wonder what it sounds like in other languages and if it's as much fun.  If anyone knows how to say snickerdoodles in another language, I'd love it if you could comment and let me know.  I'd like to add it to the post.  That'd be cool!

     The snickerdoodle has been and I'm sure will always be, delicious.  I don't think there's any way one can screw up a snickerdoodle short of forgetting to add an ingredient or leaving them in the oven for too long.  They are a great sugar cookie with that hint of cinnamon.  This was an easy recipe, too.  Once again, taken from the Food Network website.  The recipe address is:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/snickerdoodles-recipe/index.html .  They are from The Emeril Live Show.  So easy and so quick, I made them in under ½ hour -  prepping ingredients, mixing and baking.



Shortening and butter creamed.

Sugar added and mixed til fluffy.

The flour and the eggs.

The eggs added to the sugar, shortening and butter.

After the flour, baking soda and salt are added.

Rolled in sugar and cinnamon and flattened on the cookie sheet.

Mmmmmm....delicious!

    

     The rolling pin rating for snickerdoodles: the family voted that it's 3½.  The were going to give them a four, but are holding out I suppose for a really super-to-die-for cookie.  I wonder what that will be.  Remember, anyone that can post a comment telling us what snickerdoodle is in another language, I'd love to add it to the post.  I look forward to hearing from you!

     Happy baking!

Day 29 - Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

     Another recipe from the Food Network:    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-ricotta-cookies-with-lemon-glaze-recipe/index.html
These were the cookies I saw yesterday while searching for a cookie recipe, but came across the Flu-Fighters and decided to make those instead.  These are from Giada De Laurentiis.  I love her.  She is so petite and pretty and she knows her stuff.  And she's Italian, too.  I love Italy and everything Italian.  If there's one place in the world I'd love to visit, it's Italy.  I don't have an ounce of Italian in me, but I overcook so much food on occasion that you'd think I was.
     As you know, I'm also partial to lemons and anything lemon flavored.  I think it started when I was young and would get the lemon-filled donut when we'd go to Dunkin' Donuts.  Oh, how I love those!  Then, if you're from Rhode Island, there's Del's (frozen) Lemonade which is absolutely the best thing to have on a hot summer day, especially at the beach.  Now in 2011, they also have different flavors of Del's, like Watermelon, Cherry, Blueberry, and others, but if you're as old as me (not that old, born in the late 60's - and I'm already telling you my weight, so something's gotta be kept a secret!), the original flavor was lemon and Del's isn't Del's unless it's lemon.  My kids, of course, think otherwise.
   These cookies were easy to make (not nearly as many ingredients as yesterday).  They contain flour, sugar, lemon juice,  lemon zest, eggs, unsalted butter, ricotta cheese, baking powder, and salt.

Butter and sugar.

Butter and sugar, eggs.

Eggs, butter, and sugar, lemon zest, ricotta cheese, lemon juice.

Dry ingredients added.

Onto the cookie sheet.

They were just a little time consuming because I used one cookie sheet to make sure I wouldn't have any too dark, and then they had to sit for 20 minutes on the sheet after they came out of the oven to cool before being frosted. 

Being cooled.

So that's where the time went.  However, I have never had so much trouble zesting a stupid lemon.  I was becoming extremely aggravated with the thing.  I had zested half of it and then all of a sudden it was like it surrounded itself with this invisible shield and I couldn't get anything more to come off it.  I pushed, I scraped, I pressed really hard, but nothing was coming off.  FINE!  You're going to succumb to your death anyway because I'm going to need your juice, so you might as well just surrender and give me ALL of it.  Hmmmm....still nothing.  Stupid lemon.

     They were big cookies, too.  Directions said to drop about 2 tablespoons for each cookie - I did about 1½ or so.  Because they are light and have the specks of lemon zest in the glaze, I think these are an awesome spring cookie and would be great to have out at your Easter gatherings.  The rating:  3½ rolling pins.  The family liked them and I did as well.  They were light and lemony, and soft, but not too soft.
     Happy baking!

Day 28 - Flu-Fighter Cookies

  Yes, a recipe that took me by surprise.  I was searching for a cookie recipe on the http://www.foodnetwork.com/ website and saw a delicious looking recipe that I'll definitely be trying, but when I was scrolling down the page this one caught my eye.  I had never heard of a cookie named the Flu-Fighter Cookie.  The thought of it just really doesn't sound too appetizing; which is why my teenage daughter probably turned her nose up at them and wouldn't give them a try besides the fact that they contain nuts (not that she's allergic, she just doesn't like to eat them).  The name sounded so unappetizing to me and yet at the same time, was so very much intriguing!  And it is completely filled with ingredients.  It's like someone took a pantry and spice cupboard and dumped it all in a bowl - really bizarre.  There are 18 different things in this one cookie!  And soooo many different flavors! I can't post the recipe, but I can give you the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/flu-fighter-cookies-recipe/index.html (I still haven't figured out how to link words to websites yet.  It's on my list of things to do, so please bear with me.)  I am going to list the ingredients for you though, you ready?
flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
ground cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
unsalted butter
dark brown sugar (I went to two different grocery stores for different things today and forgot it each time.  I had some light brown sugar at home, so I just used that.)
eggs
molasses
Greek yogurt (I always have that in my fridge)
freshly grated ginger
grated lemon zest
old-fashioned oats
golden raisins
dried cranberries
chopped toasted walnuts
See?  That's quite a list, isn't it?  They're so much in them that I was concerned about how they would taste, but then I'm thinking the Food Network isn't going to put crappy recipes up on their site and it's so different that I'm just going to have to try it.  Besides, people around these here parts have been quite sick with the flu and whatever else is going around, so maybe these will help to boost people's immune systems.  I know I'm going to be eating them for a while.  Heck, they're healthy, too (ok, at least they appear to be - it says each cookie has a calorie count of 174).  Any excuse I have to eat a cookie, I'm all over it and again, if you read my weigh-in post today, I didn't gain any weight this week.  I'm ok.
     The ingredients:  oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, salt, cinnamon, and, eggs.

Golden raisins, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries. molasses, and Greek yogurt.

 Lemon zest, grated ginger (behind it is ginger juice), and grated nutmeg.

After grating the nutmeg, (grating those lil' buggers is hard!  It was rolling around in my fingers and wouldn't stay still.  I need to get me one of those microplane graters) something which I had never done before, I sliced it to make sure I was grating the proper part.  I had no idea.  It smelled good as I was grating, so I figured I was doing something right.  I couldn't buy just one piece, had to buy a jar of nine for $7.9something, and four of which are stuck in the bottom of the bottle.  How the heck am I going to get those out of there and when am I going to use the rest of it?  Guess we'll be making more things with nutmeg in them.  It doesn't expire until sometime in 2014, so we're good.  The smell reminded me of some rice pudding I used to eat, so there's one idea.
I thought the inside of the nutmeg was cool:

My sous chef, Charlie.  He kept watching the mixer, but really he's waiting for me to feed him because, you know, the world revolves around the cat.

The flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves combined.

 The butter and brown sugar creamed.

The second egg added to the butter and brown sugar.

The molasses, lemon zest and ginger added to mixture.

The flour mixture added to previous ingredients.  Hanging off the blender are the fibers from the ginger.  I was really thinking this wasn't going to be a good part of the cookie and would be stringy.

Oats,  ½ of each of the cranberries, walnuts and raisins added.

Ready for the oven.

Baked and ready to be eaten.

     The aroma that filled the house while these were in the oven was wonderful!  It smelled like gingerbread.  I have to say I wasn't looking forward to trying these and was thinking that they were not going to be eaten.  But, wow!  For a cookie with so much in it, it's like a taste party in your mouth!  Unbelievable.  It's gingery, with a taste of cinnamon; a touch of lemon and I'm not tasting that ginger stringy-stuff I thought I would; crunchy from the nuts and chewy because of the raisins and cranberries; and it has just the right amount of sweetness!  These probably are the healthiest tasting cookies I have ever had.  It's a good cookie to send in a care package to your college student who is stressed, doesn't eat well or get enough sleep and is around a lot of sick people, especially this time of year.  You can bet I'll be sending some of these out to my daughter.
     The rating for Flu-Fighter Cookies: 3½ rolling pins.
     So, here's to your immune systems, happy baking!

Nutella Smoochies

I {KNOW!} I am still on this whole Nutella kick! I thought I would get over it, once the Holidays and WND (World Nutella Day) were past. But then I thought, who am I kidding? There are Holidays all year long I could use Nutella for, why limit myself? So I made the trek to Costco and bought myself the motherload pack that only Costco carries and found this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.

Nutella Smoochies
(24 cookies)

1 3/4 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus more to roll the dough in (about another 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
Hershey's kisses

Preheat oven to 375.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, place the Nutella, butter, and both sugars.  Using a hand mixer beat the ingredient together until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and blend until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.

Shape the dough into walnut sized balls and roll in sugar.  Place the cookies on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 6 minutes.  Remove the cookies, quickly place a kiss in the middle of each, pressing down slightly.  Return the cookies to the oven for another 2-3 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Day 27 - Lasagna

          Today was an exhausting day and I admit, the last thing I want to do right now is post this blog.  I did go out for a walk, but it's more of a mental and emotional exhaustion than physical.  It was one of those days where I felt like I failed as a parent and then second-guessed my decision.  Instead of being forceful and giving some tough love, seeing it from the child's point of view and having been in the same situation myself, I chose the more sympathetic approach.  It may not have been the right way to handle things at the time, but in the end, it all worked out (as things always do anyway).  They never said this was going to be easy. 
       I made my mother's Lasagna recipe for dinner  I have never had a problem with this turning out really well and love to serve it when we have company because it's so filling and there's plenty of it.  I still make it in the same pan my mom used and the sauce still simmers in the same orange pot- a wedding present from the late 60's.  Some kitchen utensils I just won't part with because they hold such tremendous sentimental value.   
     Lasagna
     1 box lasagna noodles
     Boil noodles according to package directions.  Drain and quickly rinse with cold water.  Lay noodles flat on top of waxed paper to cool.  ( I also spray the paper with some cooking spray - they'll pull off easier.)
 
     1 lb. ground beef
     1 cup minced onions
     3 cloves minced garlic
    
     1 29oz. (1lb. 13oz.) can tomato purée
     1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
     1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
     1 6oz. can tomato paste
     2 teaspoons sugar
     2 teaspoons basil
     1½ teaspoons salt
     1 teaspoon oregano
     ¼ teaspoon pepper

     1 egg
     1 30oz. container part skim ricotta cheese
     1 tablespoon parsley
     1 cup grated parmesan cheese

     4-5 cups shredded mozzarella
    

     Spray 5-quart dutch oven with cooking spray.  Place on medium heat and add beef, onions, and garlic.  Stirring frequently until beef is browned (about 10 minutes).  Add tomato purée, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste.  Stir to combine.  Add sugar, basil, salt, oregano, and pepper, and stir well.  Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
     In a large bowl, beat egg.  Add ricotta cheese, parsley, and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Mix well and set aside.

     Preheat oven to 350ºF.
     Use cooking spray to generously coat a 13x9x2-inch roasting pan.  Place 3-4 lasagna noodles in bottom of pan.  Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of noodles.  Completely cover with 2 cups sauce.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce.  Place 3-4 lasagna noodles over mozzarella.  Repeat with ricotta, sauce, and mozzarella. 

There should be a total of 3-4 layers before top layer.  Cover final ricotta layer with lasagna noodles and cover with remaining sauce. 

Sprinkle remaining mozzarella  and parmesan cheeses over sauce.

(I find that it's easiest to place pan on a foil-lined cookie sheet.  That way it will catch any spill-overs both when it's baking and when it is cut at the table.  I'm all for an easier clean up.)  Bake in oven for 50 minutes or until bubbly.

     Tonight's lasagna was a little darker than I would have liked it to be.  I place it in the oven on "cook time" for 50 minutes so that it would automatically turn off when baking was finished.  We went to my son's baseball game right after I'd placed it in the oven and there it sat until we returned.  It still tasted delicious, was just a little darker around the edges and on the top for sitting in the oven for so long.
     For that reason, instead of a rating of four rolling pins as it usually gets, I need to give tonight's a 3½.
     Happy baking!