Casserole with a Long Name and Lots of Flavor.

There I was, chicken breasts defrosted so I could make a favorite of mine, Seared Chicken and Risi E Bisi for lunch. I'd also defrosted small shrimp to make Skillet Shrimp and Pasta for dinner. Now here comes the problem, coming home after a three hour adventure which included two hours of hiking and climbing up to an arch doesn't put you in the mood for cooking...anything.

I half heartedly pulled out the ingredients for the first recipe, but then I spied a packet of broccoli which I had chopped up, steamed and frozen; then it came to me!  What if I take the chicken, shrimp, broccoli and mixed it all up with the rice into a casserole dish and cooked it all at once?  Yeppers, I was feeling inspired and it wouldn't be that hurtful to my already aching muscles.  For the Risi E Bisi I would use Arborio rice, since this is actually a risotto dish; instead I used packets of chicken flavored rice to make life just a little bit easier.

Now if you can't or don't like shrimp, simply leave it out, but add another half pound of the chicken in its stead; only a half pound because it is denser than the shrimp.  I did let a friend sample this creation out of my tired mind, and she enjoyed it.  Oh, the long name?  Each main ingredient is almost equal to the next and couldn't decide who to give the most credit to; I gave it to all of them!  Even the Cheddar cheese which was screaming at me from the cheese drawer, "pick me...pick meeeee!!!"

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole with Chicken and Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into one inch pieces

1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 (5.5 oz) packets chicken rice mix
1 and 1/2 cups small chopped broccoli pieces
1 lb. small shrimp, cleaned and deveined
4 cups hot water
1 (12 oz) bag shredded mild Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F; spray a 3 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the salt, paprika and black pepper.  In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat; sauté chicken for five minutes.

 

 

Into a large bowl, mix together partially cooked chicken and remaining ingredients, except the Cheddar cheese.  Pour mixture into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil; bake for 15 minutes (shrimp will turn slightly opaque).

  

 

 

 

Remove foil; spread cheese evenly over top of mixture; bake an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

 

Sweet Salmon and Squash..

As much as Roy and I enjoy eating out and trying new restaurants, eating at home is more cozy and convenient.  So, when I told him I had salmon and asked how he wanted it cooked, he suggested I try and copycat the recipe from the Line Camp Steak House.  There are a lot of elements to their "Salmon in Maple Glaze and Crushed Pecans"; one being orange zest and I was too lazy to rehydrate my dried zest, or run to the store for a fresh orange.  Therefore, my recipe does not include that element and something tells me that the brown sugar I used is my own inclusion. 

The side dish I served with the salmon was very easy to make; spaghetti squash using the same flavoring ingredients as used with the salmon.  I put the spaghetti squash in the oven and timed the baking of the salmon to coincide with the final preparation of the side dish.

By the way, this is what you'll really love about both dishes; besides the main items, you only need three other ingredients to use in both for a total of four.  How simpler could it be!?!

Sweet Maple Salmon with Pecans

Ingredients:
 

6 (6 oz) boneless, skinless Salmon fillets

3 tsp brown sugar
1 cup maple  syrup
1/2 cup small pecan pieces

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F; line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

 

Place the fillets, skin side down, on the aluminum foil; spread a half teaspoon of brown sugar over each.  Bake for 10 minutes.

  

 

Remove tray from oven; pour maple syrup over each fillet; sprinkle pecan pieces over each.  Bake for additional 10 minutes.

 

Makes 6 servings.




I used a large spaghetti squash to get enough to serve with each fillet.  Once the squash finished baking, I used an oven mitt to hold each side (they're hot!) and scraped the "spaghetti strands" into a large bowl.  I used the exact same amounts of brown sugar, maple syrup and pecan pieces as specified in the salmon recipe.



There you go, a home cooked meal that looks gourmet restaurant style, just not as pricey.

Mary Cokenour

Recipe Remake for Nutella Swirl Bundt Cake.

I like cake, but being a diabetic means I have to sometimes...sometimes forego the dessert. However, life should be enjoyed and making compromises means you can sometimes have your cake and eat it too. This is what I did with a recipe I found online for Nutella Swirl Cake. Making a few simple changes created a cake that was more diabetic friendly than the original recipe. Less sugar, fat and cholesterol; yet a cake that was full of flavor and moist. Of course I also cut down the portion size from 12 slices to 16 slices, but with my recipe remake...less is more!!!


First the original recipe:

NUTELLA SWIRL CAKE

Serves: 12

Difficulty: average
Preparation time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Classificaton: Dessert, cake

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
6 oz heavy whipping cream
6 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp Nutella
powdered sugar, to dust

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven at 350 F degrees.  Grease a 12 cup bundt cake pan with flour and butter or baking spray.

In a large bowl sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

With a hand or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at the time, until well incorporated. Add vanilla extract.

Reduce the speed then add whipping cream and flour mixture alternately. Pour the cake batter into the pan.

Add 3 tablespoons of Nutella on top of the batter, then swirl with a fork for a marble effect.

Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool into the pan.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Recipe on Il Cucchiaio d'Argento (http:// www.cucchiaio.itwww.cucchiaio.it)

by Breadloveanddreams

Now for my recipe remake:

 

Nutella Swirl Bundt Cake

 Ingredients:

3 cups Bob's Red Mill 10-grain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups Splenda Baking Blend
2 (16 Tbsp)sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup vanilla flavored almond milk, unsweetened
1 and 1/2 cups egg substitute
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp Nutella (also known as hazelnut spread)
powdered sugar, to dust

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 350 F degrees.  Grease a 12 cup bundt cake pan with flour and butter or baking spray.

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

With a hand or stand mixer, beat butter and Splenda at medium speed until creamy and fluffy.  Continue beating and slowly add in the egg substitute; add the vanilla extract.

Reduce the speed, add almond milk and flour mixture alternately; pour the cake batter into the pan.  Add four tablespoons of Nutella on top of the batter; swirl with a fork for a marble effect.

 

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes; until a wooden toothpick comes out clean; allow the cake to cool in the pan.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

 

Makes 16 servings.

When I swirled in the Nutella, I pushed the fork in deeper than I should have.  Guess what?  It still tasted awesomely delicious!

Mary Cokenour

Crock Pot Ribs and the Blue Potato.

My hubby loves when I make baby back ribs; that's right, when it comes to smoking and grilling, I'm the doer of the family. Unfortunately, these techniques of cooking require that you be available to keep an eye on the smoker or the grill; no setting and forgetting here. Even when I make ribs in the oven, I still have to be home to make sure there is no mishap. There came a day recently when hubby wanted ribs, but I had to work; yes, I do work outside of the home as well as inside. I could have made them the day before, but I spoil him, so wanted the ribs freshly made. I've made boneless pork ribs in the crock pot, but those aren't real ribs; just thick cuts of pork loin.  Would making baby back ribs work in the crock pot as well?

Experiment time!  Wow, it worked really well and at the same time I was able to make a side dish within the same crock pot.  I had a three pound bag of blue potatoes that I had received in my Bountiful Basket; here was a chance to experiment with them as well.  Blue potatoes have the same amount of carbs as the simple white potato, but are healthier for you.  The blue signifies a high level of flavonoids which are antioxidants:  help protect blood vessels from rupture or leakage;  enhance the power of vitamin C; protect cells from oxygen damage; prevent excessive inflammation throughout the body.

Usually when using cut potatoes in the crock pot, you have to parboil them to ensure they cook evenly and thoroughly.  As I cut the potatoes into pieces, I noticed they were very moist inside; would they cook faster in the crock pot than the regularly parboiled white potato?  Remember, this was an experiment, so why not go all the way!?!  The potatoes cooked perfectly; tender, full of flavor from the seasonings, and you could taste the salt, but not be overpowered by it.  The onions were soft and oh so sweet; it was hard not to pick them all out to eat.

Crock Pot Ribs and Side Dish

Ingredients:

4 - 6 baby back ribs

Seasoning Rub (see below for recipe)
3 lbs potatoes
1 lb. onions
2 cups barbecue sauce (bottled or homemade - see below for bbq sauce recipe)

Preparation:

 

Prepare seasoning rub according to recipe; rub onto both sides of ribs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

 

Next day, unwrap ribs and cut into portions; spray a 6 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray; place rib portions inside with meaty side against wall of crock pot.

 

Wash potatoes, cut open lengthwise, in half lengthwise, then into one inch pieces.  Place into center of crock pot and keep ribs against wall, do not let them slide under potatoes. 















Remove paper skin and root from onions; chop into one inch pieces and place over potatoes. 

 


 

Pour barbecue sauce over all, cover and cook on low for 5 - 7 hours; until ribs and potatoes are tender.  Remove from crock pot onto serving dish; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm and let rest for 15 minutes.  Serve with sauce from pot over all, or in cup for dipping.

 

Makes 4 to 6 servings, based on one pound of ribs per person.

Mary Cokenour


Additional Recipes for Seasoning Rub and Homemade Barbecue Sauce

All Purpose Rub for Smoking and Grilling

Ingredients:

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp each sea salt, ground black pepper, ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp each paprika, onion powder, garlic powder

Preparation:

In medium bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Rub onto all sides of meat or poultry; refrigerate overnight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All Purpose Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp peanut oil (if not available, use canola oil)

1 small onion, diced
1Tbsp minced garlic
1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground horseradish
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp each salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup dark molasses

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium-high heat; sauté onion and garlic till softened; be careful not to burn garlic. Add in remaining ingredients, stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes; sauce will thicken. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking or burning. If sauce thickens too much, stir in a tablespoon of water until desired consistency is achieved.  Use warm or cold; store in refrigerator in airtight container; will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 2 cups.

Poblano, No Problem.

In one of my baskets, from Bountiful Baskets, I received a dozen Poblano peppers. Normally I would roast them, remove the charred skins and do whatever I wanted to afterwards; make green chile sauce, perhaps Chile Rellenos for my hubby.  Not this time however; I put them in a bowl, standing with the stem upwards, and promptly forgot about them for about two weeks.  They were in a cool, dry place and when I wandered in and found them, they had turned lovely shades of orange and red, but had not dried out.  Ruined?  Far from it; when Poblano peppers turn those lovely shades of color, they sweeten and get hotter.

Experimental cooking time!  Hmmm, chicken is always a good palette; hey, I've got some salsa and two boxes of yellow rice mix...chicken and rice, but lets spice it up a bit more...Oooo, cheese, have to have cheese on this!  Brought a portion over to a friend to try, love when friends don't mind being my guinea pigs; she enjoyed the dish, I enjoyed it, I would say this experiment was a success!!!  No more words, except for the recipe and let the photos do the rest of the story telling.

Poblano Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

12 Poblano peppers, aged to red/orange color

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Seasoning mixture for chicken: 1 Tbsp each garlic powder, onion powder; 1 tsp each salt, ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 boxes (8 oz) Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix
5 cups hot water
1 (16 oz) jar mild chunky salsa
1 (8 oz) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preparation:

 

 

Cut off the tops of each pepper about 1/4 inch down.  Carefully cut down the two end seams of the peppers, but leave 1/2 inch uncut at the bottom.  Open the pepper up, careful not to split open the bottom; clean out the seeds and white pith.

 

 

 

 

Season both sides of the chicken with the seasoning  mixture.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, medium-high heat, and brown the chicken on both sides (about 2 minutes per side).  Remove to a paper towel covered plate to drain off any excess oil.

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 4 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Put in the rice mix from both boxes, add water and stir. 

 

 

 

The chicken is now cool enough to handle.  Place one pepper (opened up) onto a plate; place another pepper across to make an "X".  Place a chicken breast (skin side down) in the center; fold the peppers around the chicken and secure with a toothpick.  Place the bundle into the baking dish, pressing down slightly into the liquid and rice; do same for remaining chicken.

 

 

 

 

Top each bundle with salsa; cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil; spread cheese over all; return dish to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes; remove toothpicks before serving.

  

 

Makes 6 servings.

 

Play with your food!  Don't be afraid to experiment!  Enjoy!

 

Mary Cokenour

Just Another Baked Cod Recipe.

The other day I tried to fry up two one inch thick pieces of cod in a skillet.  A little olive oil over medium heat, seasoned with salt, black pepper and dill; lemon juice splashed over them at the last minute of cooking.  Sounds yummy, right?  Well, I don't know what went wrong, or maybe I do; while the fish did brown slightly on both sides and turn opaque, the middle did not cook through.  I don't think it was the cooking technique, it was because I used defrosted fish; unfortuately, frozen is all that is available for purchase around these parts.  Utah is a landlocked state, so if fish comes in, it was fresh at one time, but now is totally frozen.  Freezing fish changes its texture; even carefully defrosting and cooking, the outside may be flaky, but the deep inside tends to be rubbery.

That doesn't mean that I have given up entirely on fish; I still buy the frozen and still attempt to find ways to get it done right.  This post is another of those attempts; I needed to bake it a little longer than fresh fish, but the rubbery texture was almost...almost nonexistent.  So, while my recipe says to bake 25 - 30 minutes, that is based on defrosted fish; fresh fish should be about 10 minutes less in baking time.

Baked Cod with Squash

 Ingredients:

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup olive oil, divided in half
2 Tbsp Italian herbal mix, divided in half
2 tsp coarse sea salt, divided in half
1 tsp garlic powder
2 (6 oz) cod fillets, one inch thick, bones and skin removed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
 

Preheat oven to 400F.  In a 1 and 1/2 quart glass baking dish, spread the squash slices over the bottom.  Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over the slices; sprinkle one tablespoon of the herbal mix, one teaspoon of sea salt and the one teaspoon of garlic powder over them.

 

Lay the cod fillets (skin side up) on top of the squash; drizzle with remaining olive oil; sprinkle remaining herbal mix and sea salt; drizzle lemon juice over all.  Bake for 25 - 30 minutes; until cod is opaque and flakes easily.  Remove one fillet and portion of squash to plate; spoon liquid from baking dish over all.

 

Makes 2 servings.

 

Mary Cokenour

I Beat My Own Balls.

Meatballs that is.  Now my softball sized meatballs have always been yummy, but I wanted something different; I needed a change of pace.  Instead of that huge one meatball on top of my spaghetti or pasta, how about two to three smaller ones; same amount of meat, just a different look for the eye.  Another change is mostly due to supply and demand; finding a simply ground pork that hasn't been preseasoned for use as a breakfast sausage is almost next to impossible around here.  Oh, and one more minor change, the onions; instead of dicing them up and putting them into the meat mixture raw, I added a can of diced tomatoes with sweet onions.  The onions are steam processed with the tomatoes, so are softened; sometimes the raw onions don't soften up when added raw and not everyone likes to bite into raw onion.  In our tiny store which acts as the local "supermarket", the Western Family brand is sold and they carry diced tomatoes with sweet onions.  I've looked in supermarkets and Walmart, but haven't found anything to its equal as yet; so if you can find some, stock up!



Of course the meatballs are parbaked in the oven before adding them to a pot of homemade sauce to finish off cooking.  Taking out all that excess grease from the meat makes a big difference on how your sauce will turn out.

 

Meatballs - 2014 Version

 

Ingredients:
 

3 lbs lean ground beef

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with sweet onions

2 eggs, beaten

1 and 1/2 cups Italian flavored bread crumbs

3 Tbsp grated Romano cheese

1 Tbsp garlic powder

 

Preparation:
 

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a large jelly roll pan (aluminum sheet with edge) with nonstick cooking spray.

 
 

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients thoroughly; use a 1/3 cup to help measure out the mixture portions.  Roll between palms of hands; place on pan about a half inch apart.

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for a half hour; dab each meatball onto a paper towel to remove any excess oil.  The meatballs are only partially cooked, so do not eat yet; place into pot of sauce to finish off cooking.  If stovetop cooking, two hours; if slow cooker (crock pot), four hours.

 

Makes 20 meatballs.

 

Mary Cokenour