Ever since our oldest Alex came home from college, we apparently do not know how to buy enough food for a household of six. Add to that the kids are done with school and trolling the house and fridge during the day. There is nothing left in my refrigerator and it is Wed night! Here is what I have; roasted chicken, and the standard ingredients for a mirepoix ( french for a trio of carrot, celery, and onion). OK, first thoughts are I can make Fajita's. That became moot when I looked and found only 5 tortillas. Next thought, chicken tortilla soup. No.... not hearty enough for my husband as a meal. What to do what to do? I started looking online and found no inspiration. Then it hit me, I have been cooking long enough I can create something. (Note: I am not a big creator of something from nothing, I generally create a recipe based on the foundation of many recipes for one dish and tweak it from there) I started chopping, slicing, dicing and asked my assistant Samantha (youngest female child) to make a yellow rice. The sizzle from the pan and aroma emanating was teasing me, I was not yet sure if this was going to work. My family walked through the door and my daughter say "wow it smells so good I am soooo hungry". It smells like Chicken Parikash.( A Hungarian dish passed on from generation to generation in my family). My heart sunk, I love Chicken Paprikash as do two of my kids, but my husband and Samantha are not big fans. Did I just create another version of the same dish? Ugh! However, I used completely different ingredients and did not use any Paprika, which is a major part of Chicken Paprikash. At this point there is not much to do but serve and hope they like it. Table is set and it is the moment of truth......and OMG everyone loved it.Yippee!
Does anyone have a recipe they made up that is a big winner?
Friday, June 21, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
You too can use ingredients meant for something else in many ways...
I have not found myself to have been very inspired lately with our food, so there has not been much to write about. That all changed this week when it was fish night and I was buying Salmon. My youngest daughter asked if we could make pesto since we had Basil in the fridge. I looked again and saw that we had Parmesan cheese and agreed to make a side of Pasta Pesto. We try very hard to not make a meal out of Pasta, so having it once in a while as a side dish is a treat!
I got all the ingredients needed for the Pesto together and began making the sauce. If you like Pesto but don't want to have to buy all of the ingredients, and purée them, you can buy it ready made. For those of you that are kosher Pesto comes in a kosher version as well, and is a great staple to keep in your pantry.
As I completed the Pasta I had some Pesto left at the bottom of the food processor. My plan was to make the Salmon with some Panko on top. So in the moment I grabbed the leftover pesto and extra Parmesan cheese and tossed it together with the Panko. After sprinkling the crumbs on the fish I popped it in the oven and that was that. I have to say that unlike myself as a kid, my children all eat fish,but the surprise and satisfaction on their faces when they took their first bite was awesome, as a matter of fact I believe the next thing I heard was Mom are you going to Blog about this dinner? So here we are.....I am so predictable, but its still Good Food in Good Time. Check out the recipes below. Oh and if there are any leftovers it makes a great salad for lunch.
My girls... the healthy glow is from fish oil!
Pasta Pesto
1 box of any pasta
Bunch of fresh Basil about 1 Cup
Pine Nuts 1-2 Tbl
Olive oil 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Salt/Pepper
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
Wash the basil,rip in half and toss into food processor. Add Pine Nuts,garlic,salt and pepper, and Parmesan cheese and chop. As processor is running stream the oil in to emulsify. Pesto should not be a paste nor should it be to liquidy. Set aside about 1 to 2 tablespoons of pesto. Cook pasta per directions on the box. Drain and add pesto to toss.
Salmon
1 3/4 lbs Salmon
1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
Salt/pepper to taste
1 to 2 Tbsp Pesto
Place Salmon on a cookie sheet or in an oven proof dish. Salt and pepper the fish. In a separate bowl add all of the remaining ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle the crumbs on the fish to create a pretty thick cover. Place in 400 degree oven for about 12 to 15 minutes. Salmon should be just opaque when it is done. If it is too light pink inside it will be dry.
I got all the ingredients needed for the Pesto together and began making the sauce. If you like Pesto but don't want to have to buy all of the ingredients, and purée them, you can buy it ready made. For those of you that are kosher Pesto comes in a kosher version as well, and is a great staple to keep in your pantry.
As I completed the Pasta I had some Pesto left at the bottom of the food processor. My plan was to make the Salmon with some Panko on top. So in the moment I grabbed the leftover pesto and extra Parmesan cheese and tossed it together with the Panko. After sprinkling the crumbs on the fish I popped it in the oven and that was that. I have to say that unlike myself as a kid, my children all eat fish,but the surprise and satisfaction on their faces when they took their first bite was awesome, as a matter of fact I believe the next thing I heard was Mom are you going to Blog about this dinner? So here we are.....I am so predictable, but its still Good Food in Good Time. Check out the recipes below. Oh and if there are any leftovers it makes a great salad for lunch.
Pasta Pesto
1 box of any pasta
Bunch of fresh Basil about 1 Cup
Pine Nuts 1-2 Tbl
Olive oil 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Salt/Pepper
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
Wash the basil,rip in half and toss into food processor. Add Pine Nuts,garlic,salt and pepper, and Parmesan cheese and chop. As processor is running stream the oil in to emulsify. Pesto should not be a paste nor should it be to liquidy. Set aside about 1 to 2 tablespoons of pesto. Cook pasta per directions on the box. Drain and add pesto to toss.
Salmon
1 3/4 lbs Salmon
1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
Salt/pepper to taste
1 to 2 Tbsp Pesto
Place Salmon on a cookie sheet or in an oven proof dish. Salt and pepper the fish. In a separate bowl add all of the remaining ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle the crumbs on the fish to create a pretty thick cover. Place in 400 degree oven for about 12 to 15 minutes. Salmon should be just opaque when it is done. If it is too light pink inside it will be dry.
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