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.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Cuban Heritage
Growing up in the Midwest I did not have much opportunity to taste foods from Latin America. We stem from Eastern European descent and the closest I came to eating Latin food was Taco night. :) In 1993 I married the love of my life, and as his lineage is 1/2 Cuban I began on a journey through uncharted food territories. Dishes like Black Beans and Rice (Frijoles Negros), Plantains (2 ways), Arroz con Pollo, Picadillo, and Ropa Vieja just to name a few, lit up my taste buds in ways I never imagined. What is even more surprising is the misconception that Latin food is spicy, (It's not) or that it is complicated (its simplicity is its draw).
Let's begin with the Plantain. This comes from the Banana family, but has a starchier meat and needs to be cooked to eat it. Plantains can be eaten many ways, but I make it two ways. Ripe Plantains are black on the outside likened to a very old banana. It is at this point in its ripening that you will get a very sweet result. The sugars have completely blossomed and by just frying these in a medium heated pan sliced on the bias with oil, the fruit caramelizes and turn sweet and soft. Almost taking on a brown sugared flavor.
The second way to cook plantains, as I am generally partial to savory, is to cook them in their ripe stage"green". Using a mandolin or your knife cutting very thin pieces lengthwise and frying them in oil, salting them as they come out and serving with a dip of garlic lemon oil. My mouth is watering.
Note: I have seen this made healthier by baking the chips with Pam until crispy.
My favorite of all the dishes is very similar to Pepper Steak. It is called Ropa Vieja. Crudely translated it mean old clothes. There is an old fable that tells of an old man that had family coming for dinner but did not have enough money for food. So he took old clothes and imbued them with love. When he cooked the clothes, his love for his family turned the clothes into this beautiful stew.
Ropa Vieja is made with Peppers, Onions, Tomato sauce, Tomato Paste and Chuck roast. It is a very slow cooking braise to allow the fibers in the meat to completely break down so it can be shredded later on. In my particular situation this week, I had a roast that was made during the weekend my daughter Sammi celebrated her Bat-Mitzvah. We have a pretty large immediate family of around 50 and we all lovingly fly around the states celebrating simcha's "joyus occasions" together. We had prepared Brisket for the Friday night "Shabbat dinner" but my mother was concerned there may not be enough. So, we defrosted a silver tip roast, I slathered it in a rub of chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and threw it on the grill to roast. The end result was beautiful, and I sliced it and put it in the oven to keep warm. Unfortunately from there it was forgotten as we did not need more meat during the meal. By the time I removed the roast from the oven it was overdone and dry. It broke my heart to waste a 4 LB silver tip so I threw it in the freezer figuring it would be great in soup. (which by the way I used some for a Mushroom Beef Barley soup). Fast forward a month and now I am ready to use this meat. I defrosted the package and prepared the recipe as required. Every so often we have what we like to call girls night in my house, which used to entail Daddy being out and the three girls and myself would watch a chick flick. Now that we have some toddler testosterone at home, girls nights are a lot more difficult to come by. However, every so often the planets align and we can enjoy a shortened version of girls night. Last night was one of those nights. We set up the family room with our little tables and watched Once upon a Time (weekly one hour drama) while enjoying our Cuban dinner. Served alongside this dish we make white rice and black beans. As the name of my blog suggests none of this is very time consuming as a matter of fact, I use canned black beans and just Dr. them up a bit. Tastes like the real thing, but takes no time at all. In the end its just Buena Comida a Su Debido Tiempo or "Good Food in Good time".
Buen Provecho!!!
Ropa Vieja
1 2 LB Chuck Roast 2 small cans of Tomato Sauce
2 Onions sliced 1 can of Tomato Paste
1 Bell Pepper sliced 1 1/2 cups of Beef Broth
4 cloves of Garlic Sliced thin Cilantro (Optional)
1 Teaspoon Cumin Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a pot, add onion and peppers to sweat. This would be softened but no color. Just as these are done add garlic and saute for another minute. Add Chuck Roast, Tomato sauce and Paste as well as Broth. bring to a boil and season with Salt, Pepper and Cumin. Turn pot down to simmer and cover. Simmer for 2 hours depending on the roast. Check after 1 1/2 hours to see if the meat is beginning to come apart. Once the meat is done take the pot off the stove. Remove roast to a big bowl and using two forks shred the meat pulling outward as you go. Once the roast is completely shredded add the meat back into the sauce and heat through. Serve with white rice.
Black Beans
1 Onion 1 Tsp Cumin
1 Green Bell Pepper Salt and Pepper
1 Can Black Beans 1 Tbl Canola Oil
Chop onion and Pepper and saute in oil until soft. Add a can of Black Beans not drained and mix. Add salt, pepper and Cumin and heat through. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes and serve on white rice.
Let's begin with the Plantain. This comes from the Banana family, but has a starchier meat and needs to be cooked to eat it. Plantains can be eaten many ways, but I make it two ways. Ripe Plantains are black on the outside likened to a very old banana. It is at this point in its ripening that you will get a very sweet result. The sugars have completely blossomed and by just frying these in a medium heated pan sliced on the bias with oil, the fruit caramelizes and turn sweet and soft. Almost taking on a brown sugared flavor.The second way to cook plantains, as I am generally partial to savory, is to cook them in their ripe stage"green". Using a mandolin or your knife cutting very thin pieces lengthwise and frying them in oil, salting them as they come out and serving with a dip of garlic lemon oil. My mouth is watering.
Garlic Sauce
4-6 Cloves of Garlic Chopped Fine
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1/8 cup Orange juice
(Some people use Lime juice only)
Salt and pepper
Mix all the ingredients together an dip your fried plantains in sauce or pour sauce on plantains.Note: I have seen this made healthier by baking the chips with Pam until crispy.
My favorite of all the dishes is very similar to Pepper Steak. It is called Ropa Vieja. Crudely translated it mean old clothes. There is an old fable that tells of an old man that had family coming for dinner but did not have enough money for food. So he took old clothes and imbued them with love. When he cooked the clothes, his love for his family turned the clothes into this beautiful stew.
Ropa Vieja is made with Peppers, Onions, Tomato sauce, Tomato Paste and Chuck roast. It is a very slow cooking braise to allow the fibers in the meat to completely break down so it can be shredded later on. In my particular situation this week, I had a roast that was made during the weekend my daughter Sammi celebrated her Bat-Mitzvah. We have a pretty large immediate family of around 50 and we all lovingly fly around the states celebrating simcha's "joyus occasions" together. We had prepared Brisket for the Friday night "Shabbat dinner" but my mother was concerned there may not be enough. So, we defrosted a silver tip roast, I slathered it in a rub of chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and threw it on the grill to roast. The end result was beautiful, and I sliced it and put it in the oven to keep warm. Unfortunately from there it was forgotten as we did not need more meat during the meal. By the time I removed the roast from the oven it was overdone and dry. It broke my heart to waste a 4 LB silver tip so I threw it in the freezer figuring it would be great in soup. (which by the way I used some for a Mushroom Beef Barley soup). Fast forward a month and now I am ready to use this meat. I defrosted the package and prepared the recipe as required. Every so often we have what we like to call girls night in my house, which used to entail Daddy being out and the three girls and myself would watch a chick flick. Now that we have some toddler testosterone at home, girls nights are a lot more difficult to come by. However, every so often the planets align and we can enjoy a shortened version of girls night. Last night was one of those nights. We set up the family room with our little tables and watched Once upon a Time (weekly one hour drama) while enjoying our Cuban dinner. Served alongside this dish we make white rice and black beans. As the name of my blog suggests none of this is very time consuming as a matter of fact, I use canned black beans and just Dr. them up a bit. Tastes like the real thing, but takes no time at all. In the end its just Buena Comida a Su Debido Tiempo or "Good Food in Good time".Buen Provecho!!!
Ropa Vieja
1 2 LB Chuck Roast 2 small cans of Tomato Sauce
2 Onions sliced 1 can of Tomato Paste
1 Bell Pepper sliced 1 1/2 cups of Beef Broth
4 cloves of Garlic Sliced thin Cilantro (Optional)
1 Teaspoon Cumin Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a pot, add onion and peppers to sweat. This would be softened but no color. Just as these are done add garlic and saute for another minute. Add Chuck Roast, Tomato sauce and Paste as well as Broth. bring to a boil and season with Salt, Pepper and Cumin. Turn pot down to simmer and cover. Simmer for 2 hours depending on the roast. Check after 1 1/2 hours to see if the meat is beginning to come apart. Once the meat is done take the pot off the stove. Remove roast to a big bowl and using two forks shred the meat pulling outward as you go. Once the roast is completely shredded add the meat back into the sauce and heat through. Serve with white rice.
Black Beans
1 Onion 1 Tsp Cumin
1 Green Bell Pepper Salt and Pepper
1 Can Black Beans 1 Tbl Canola Oil
Chop onion and Pepper and saute in oil until soft. Add a can of Black Beans not drained and mix. Add salt, pepper and Cumin and heat through. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes and serve on white rice.
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Legacy lives on...
My mother called me yesterday and asked if I had seen the Facebook post of my second cousin who lives in Hungary. My response, "I saw the picture, but she writes in Hungarian, kinda tough to know what she is saying". Turns out she was posting that she had made her favorite, chicken paprikash, which here in the states is Hungarian chicken and dumplings. My mother asked her if she was cooking it the way her grandmother and aunt made it, and she said "it was the first thing my grandmother ever taught me to cook" I can relate.
A little over two years ago we lost my grandmother Ilona. She was 92 years old lived a long full life and left a legacy to us in the way we cook and eat in many ways, among so many other things. This week it was supremely cold by Florida standards, and I could not decide what to make for dinner. I had a Chuck steak in the freezer, and a bunch of fresh and frozen veggies. So, I decided to make a veggie beef soup. It's quite easy and so hearty. Most of the time I just add barley to give it a little more body, but instead I asked my girls if they wanted it like bubbie made it, with little dumplings. Consensus YES!!! Now my kids love love love chicken paprikash and the dumplings are made the same way but, Samantha only likes the dumplings in the soup not by way of the chicken and dumplings. I defrosted the meat and away we went. It was a big warm up on such a cold evening and made a perfect lunch the following day.
I promise one day to provide the family recipe for chicken paprikash but for now here is the veggie soup. Serve it with some great bread and a salad on the side if you like.
Vegetable Beef Soup
1 Onion 2 Zucchini Chopped
3 Carrots Chopped 7 Mushrooms
3 Stalks of Celery Chopped 1/4 pack frozen Spinach
3/4 lb Chuck Steak 3 TBL Tomato Paste
Fresh Basil 6 cups Water
2 Garlic Cloves Chopped 3 TBL Beef Stock Bouillon
Salt and Pepper 1/4 cup barley (optional)
Chop onion, carrots, and celery and saute in olive oil. Salt and pepper and cook until soft. Add meat cut into dice sized pieces and saute until brown. Add zucchini, mushrooms, basil, and garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add water, bouillon and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Add barley. Turn heat down, and add spinach. Season again to taste. Simmer for an hour. Enjoy.
I am sure that everyone has a legacy like our in our family, and I can say for certain that my grandmother was the matriarch of "GOOD FOOD IN GOOD TIME"
Alex and my grandmother Ilona 2006
A little over two years ago we lost my grandmother Ilona. She was 92 years old lived a long full life and left a legacy to us in the way we cook and eat in many ways, among so many other things. This week it was supremely cold by Florida standards, and I could not decide what to make for dinner. I had a Chuck steak in the freezer, and a bunch of fresh and frozen veggies. So, I decided to make a veggie beef soup. It's quite easy and so hearty. Most of the time I just add barley to give it a little more body, but instead I asked my girls if they wanted it like bubbie made it, with little dumplings. Consensus YES!!! Now my kids love love love chicken paprikash and the dumplings are made the same way but, Samantha only likes the dumplings in the soup not by way of the chicken and dumplings. I defrosted the meat and away we went. It was a big warm up on such a cold evening and made a perfect lunch the following day.
I promise one day to provide the family recipe for chicken paprikash but for now here is the veggie soup. Serve it with some great bread and a salad on the side if you like.
Vegetable Beef Soup
1 Onion 2 Zucchini Chopped
3 Carrots Chopped 7 Mushrooms
3 Stalks of Celery Chopped 1/4 pack frozen Spinach
3/4 lb Chuck Steak 3 TBL Tomato Paste
Fresh Basil 6 cups Water
2 Garlic Cloves Chopped 3 TBL Beef Stock Bouillon
Salt and Pepper 1/4 cup barley (optional)
Chop onion, carrots, and celery and saute in olive oil. Salt and pepper and cook until soft. Add meat cut into dice sized pieces and saute until brown. Add zucchini, mushrooms, basil, and garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add water, bouillon and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Add barley. Turn heat down, and add spinach. Season again to taste. Simmer for an hour. Enjoy.
I am sure that everyone has a legacy like our in our family, and I can say for certain that my grandmother was the matriarch of "GOOD FOOD IN GOOD TIME"
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Happy New Year!!!
I am officially stating here that while I have been absent from my Blog for a few months now, I am recommitting in 2012 to continue cooking and sharing my experiences and recipes. When I say experiences I mean the nitty gritty. If something did not work as planned I will share that with you as well. None of us are perfect, we all know that about Julia Child, and can be sure that the Anthony Bourdain's, Scott Conant's and Giada's of this world have burned or undercooked their food once in a while. This brings me to my first meal of the New Year.
January 1, 2012 New Years Day and My husband Mike's birthday.
A couple of weeks ago Mike came to me and said I would love to have a rack of lamb for my birthday.
Flashback about a year... For one of the holidays I came into two racks of lamb without a clue how to cook them. I pulled out a pile of Bon Apetit magazines and began to search for a recipe. Bingo, I found the perfect recipe, could it really be that simple??? I tried it and not only was it simple but it was one of the best meals I have ever made.
Fast forward to this year... I had to order the lamb from the butcher, and for beauty and a natural handle I asked him to "French" the lamb. No he was not making out with it, he was cleaning off the bone and trimming the fat so they would be perfectly ready to cook.
They should not charge you anything extra to do this for you. Also, ask them to give you the trimming, it makes a fantastic soup base.
The menu: Rack of Lamb with Baby Potatoes and Haricot Verts
I cannot take full credit for this birthday dinner, every one of my kids had a hand in dinner.
First, I coat the lamb with salt, pepper, olive oil,and rosemary. You can use any herbs you like including mint if you like the flavor. Sear the meat on both sides in a hot pan and set into a roasting pan. Lamb does not need a lot of time to cook. It was one of the things that most amazed me when I first cooked it. Also, if you do not like rare meat lamb may not be your bag. It should be cooked Rare to medium rare for best texture and bite.
Here is where things went wrong. I placed the lamb in the oven for roasting as we sat down to our salad (spring mix with avocado, pepper, and red onion, dressing is a store bought Vidalia onion dressing). Shout out to Samantha who put the salad together. Fifteen minutes later I removed the rack to rest for a few minutes prior to cutting. I cut into the rack and it was not cooked. OH NOOOOOOO! Back into the oven it went and I filled up the wine glasses. I went back to check after round two in the oven and while it is better, the meat is still not completely cooked on the inside, ugh!!!! While we are struggling to figure this all out, we are plating the side dishes. We decide to slice the lamb chops and sear them off on the stove until just cooked. Phew! They turned out great, but not without a few moments of absolute panic. Disaster averted!
Alex was making the potatoes and we did something new. We bought these tri-colored baby potatoes, and boiled them off until just fork tender. Then we drained them and set it aside. You will want to heat oil in a skillet and toss potatoes in with salt, pepper and some herbs. Whatever herbs you used for the meat would be good. Leave the potatoes alone at this point, you want the skin to crisp up. The results were incredible, creamy on the inside,crispy on the outside. Our second side was Haricot Verts (fancy french green beans you can get at any market and don't have to stand and snap off the bottoms), simply pan fried in a bit of oil, salt and pepper until just tender.
I am officially stating here that while I have been absent from my Blog for a few months now, I am recommitting in 2012 to continue cooking and sharing my experiences and recipes. When I say experiences I mean the nitty gritty. If something did not work as planned I will share that with you as well. None of us are perfect, we all know that about Julia Child, and can be sure that the Anthony Bourdain's, Scott Conant's and Giada's of this world have burned or undercooked their food once in a while. This brings me to my first meal of the New Year.
January 1, 2012 New Years Day and My husband Mike's birthday.
A couple of weeks ago Mike came to me and said I would love to have a rack of lamb for my birthday.
Flashback about a year... For one of the holidays I came into two racks of lamb without a clue how to cook them. I pulled out a pile of Bon Apetit magazines and began to search for a recipe. Bingo, I found the perfect recipe, could it really be that simple??? I tried it and not only was it simple but it was one of the best meals I have ever made.
Fast forward to this year... I had to order the lamb from the butcher, and for beauty and a natural handle I asked him to "French" the lamb. No he was not making out with it, he was cleaning off the bone and trimming the fat so they would be perfectly ready to cook.
They should not charge you anything extra to do this for you. Also, ask them to give you the trimming, it makes a fantastic soup base.
The menu: Rack of Lamb with Baby Potatoes and Haricot Verts
I cannot take full credit for this birthday dinner, every one of my kids had a hand in dinner.
First, I coat the lamb with salt, pepper, olive oil,and rosemary. You can use any herbs you like including mint if you like the flavor. Sear the meat on both sides in a hot pan and set into a roasting pan. Lamb does not need a lot of time to cook. It was one of the things that most amazed me when I first cooked it. Also, if you do not like rare meat lamb may not be your bag. It should be cooked Rare to medium rare for best texture and bite.
Here is where things went wrong. I placed the lamb in the oven for roasting as we sat down to our salad (spring mix with avocado, pepper, and red onion, dressing is a store bought Vidalia onion dressing). Shout out to Samantha who put the salad together. Fifteen minutes later I removed the rack to rest for a few minutes prior to cutting. I cut into the rack and it was not cooked. OH NOOOOOOO! Back into the oven it went and I filled up the wine glasses. I went back to check after round two in the oven and while it is better, the meat is still not completely cooked on the inside, ugh!!!! While we are struggling to figure this all out, we are plating the side dishes. We decide to slice the lamb chops and sear them off on the stove until just cooked. Phew! They turned out great, but not without a few moments of absolute panic. Disaster averted!
Alex was making the potatoes and we did something new. We bought these tri-colored baby potatoes, and boiled them off until just fork tender. Then we drained them and set it aside. You will want to heat oil in a skillet and toss potatoes in with salt, pepper and some herbs. Whatever herbs you used for the meat would be good. Leave the potatoes alone at this point, you want the skin to crisp up. The results were incredible, creamy on the inside,crispy on the outside. Our second side was Haricot Verts (fancy french green beans you can get at any market and don't have to stand and snap off the bottoms), simply pan fried in a bit of oil, salt and pepper until just tender.
Lastly, because what is a birthday without cake? We made a chocolate ganache cake. I know what you're thinking, its so much easier to buy a cake and it is....and I tried. The bakery did not have the cakes Mike likes. Next we went to the local grocery store that has a kosher bakery, again they had no cakes that peaked anyones interest. Next, we considered a Dunkin Hines Red Velvet. At that point, I thought, I am making a fabulous, mucho fancy dinner from scratch, and I am planning a Dunkin Hines box cake. No way!! So Chocolate Ganache cake it was, and boy did it come out yummy!! Thanks to Jessica who frosted the cake (and the plate I might add).
Pictures Below.... Happy Birthday Mike and Happy New Year to you all, may you commit to making Good Food in Good Time in 2012!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
So sick of food! So what do we make for dinner???
Sunday we came off of one of the biggest Jewish eating binges on the planet. Anyone who is a Jew or knows a Jew can attest to the fact that we like to eat. We eat to celebrate a wedding, a holiday, birthdays, and even death. Yes, there I said it, the amount of food in a shiva house one cannot believe. However, I think these holidays and every other event brings families and communities together, so I say bring it on!
However, coming off one of these three day binges is enough to make you want to fast for a week, which we will be doing come Friday night and Saturday for Yom Kippur. Alas, I have kids and a husband, and much as we could not think of another morsel to put in our mouths, at 6 pm we were hungry. So the conundrum was, what can we eat for dinner that will be light enough that we can handle it but significant enough for us to be satisfied? Ah the soup and salad night....thank god my kids like soup and salad. So can yours...
Fist of all I asked them what kind of soup they wanted, and inevitably, I received three different ideas. French Onion Soup, Pasta Fagioli and Broccoli Cheddar. French Onion soup was nixed by child #2, Jessica who said it's too sweet and too beefy flavored. We all decided we were not in the mood for such a hearty soup as Pasta Fagioli, so we came to Broccoli Cheddar and every child said YES!!!!!!!
Nothing like adding cheese to a soup to get kids to eat their veggies. This soup has a standard base as do all creamy vegetable soups. They start with the standard celery, carrot and onion as a base, and then add the vegetable of choice with chicken or vegetable stock. The addition of potatoes to these soups serves as a natural thickener, when you puree the soup at the end. You want to let this cook as is, until everything is very tender. (Makes it easy to puree) Once it is all cooked through puree and voila, Cream of (insert your own veg here) Soup. At this point you can add cream, milk or even soy milk to add to the creaminess but its not necessary.
Cheesy Broccoli Soup
1 Chopped Onion 1 Large or 2 Small Carrots
1 Stalk Chopped Celery 2 Tbs Margarine of Butter
6 cups Chicken Broth 2 Heads of Broccoli or 2 bags frozen Broccoli
4 Idaho Potatoes Chopped 2 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Cup Milk or Cream 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in margarine until soft. Add broth, broccoli florets, and potatoes. Bring up to a boil and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are cooked and the florets are very soft. Take off heat and let cool briefly. Transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth. If he own an immersion blender you can use this as well. return soup to the pot. Put back on the stove and heat through. Once the soup comes back to temperature add cream and cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
On to the salad . One of things I love to do is see how many ways I can turn a regular salad into something special. If you have oil, assorted vinegars, lemon juice, lime juice, even pomegranate juice, mayonnaise, salsa, I could keep going...you have a great dressing.
A couple rules when making a salad,
1. Use fresh veggies,
2. Always use ingredients that you like.
A salad can never be bad if it includes all the things you like. I personally likes chopped salads, bite size no mess. My parents tear all of their lettuce so the pieces are ginormous. I used to get teased all the time in restaurants because I would cut all my salad prior to eating. There are two schools of thought, I grew up with my mom telling me that you should not cut lettuce with a knife because it make the lettuce turn brown. I on the other hand chop all my salad with a knife and do not find that it add to the lettuce browning any quicker. So have at it, try either way and let me know what you think.
Back to Sunday dinner. Soup taken care of now on to the salad. Chopped my romaine, cucumbers (English, don't like the bur pee seeds), red onion, Bell Pepper, and an Ode to my daughter #1 Alex, soup croutons. Gotta have some crunch. OK salad is colorful, and full of great vitamins. On to the dressing...I asked Jessica what kind of dressing she felt like having and she said something garlic. Then the light bulb went on. In my pantry I have a package of Garlic and Herb Dressing from Good Seasons. You might remember, they make the dressing pack with the Cruet to mix a delicious vinaigrette, but this time I had a plan. I pulled out the mayonnaise dropped about 3 Tablespoons into a bowl, and sprinkled the seasoning packet on top. I did not use the whole packet. A little at a time, and taste as you go along, this way you don't end up with too much seasoning. Once I had the desired flavor, I added some water to thin out the dressing and would you believe we all loved it!
It just goes to show that Good Food In Good Time may come with some strange last minute additions that make all the difference to your meal. Enjoy!
However, coming off one of these three day binges is enough to make you want to fast for a week, which we will be doing come Friday night and Saturday for Yom Kippur. Alas, I have kids and a husband, and much as we could not think of another morsel to put in our mouths, at 6 pm we were hungry. So the conundrum was, what can we eat for dinner that will be light enough that we can handle it but significant enough for us to be satisfied? Ah the soup and salad night....thank god my kids like soup and salad. So can yours...
Fist of all I asked them what kind of soup they wanted, and inevitably, I received three different ideas. French Onion Soup, Pasta Fagioli and Broccoli Cheddar. French Onion soup was nixed by child #2, Jessica who said it's too sweet and too beefy flavored. We all decided we were not in the mood for such a hearty soup as Pasta Fagioli, so we came to Broccoli Cheddar and every child said YES!!!!!!!
Nothing like adding cheese to a soup to get kids to eat their veggies. This soup has a standard base as do all creamy vegetable soups. They start with the standard celery, carrot and onion as a base, and then add the vegetable of choice with chicken or vegetable stock. The addition of potatoes to these soups serves as a natural thickener, when you puree the soup at the end. You want to let this cook as is, until everything is very tender. (Makes it easy to puree) Once it is all cooked through puree and voila, Cream of (insert your own veg here) Soup. At this point you can add cream, milk or even soy milk to add to the creaminess but its not necessary.
Cheesy Broccoli Soup
1 Chopped Onion 1 Large or 2 Small Carrots
1 Stalk Chopped Celery 2 Tbs Margarine of Butter
6 cups Chicken Broth 2 Heads of Broccoli or 2 bags frozen Broccoli
4 Idaho Potatoes Chopped 2 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Cup Milk or Cream 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in margarine until soft. Add broth, broccoli florets, and potatoes. Bring up to a boil and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are cooked and the florets are very soft. Take off heat and let cool briefly. Transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth. If he own an immersion blender you can use this as well. return soup to the pot. Put back on the stove and heat through. Once the soup comes back to temperature add cream and cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
On to the salad . One of things I love to do is see how many ways I can turn a regular salad into something special. If you have oil, assorted vinegars, lemon juice, lime juice, even pomegranate juice, mayonnaise, salsa, I could keep going...you have a great dressing.
A couple rules when making a salad,
1. Use fresh veggies,
2. Always use ingredients that you like.
A salad can never be bad if it includes all the things you like. I personally likes chopped salads, bite size no mess. My parents tear all of their lettuce so the pieces are ginormous. I used to get teased all the time in restaurants because I would cut all my salad prior to eating. There are two schools of thought, I grew up with my mom telling me that you should not cut lettuce with a knife because it make the lettuce turn brown. I on the other hand chop all my salad with a knife and do not find that it add to the lettuce browning any quicker. So have at it, try either way and let me know what you think.
Back to Sunday dinner. Soup taken care of now on to the salad. Chopped my romaine, cucumbers (English, don't like the bur pee seeds), red onion, Bell Pepper, and an Ode to my daughter #1 Alex, soup croutons. Gotta have some crunch. OK salad is colorful, and full of great vitamins. On to the dressing...I asked Jessica what kind of dressing she felt like having and she said something garlic. Then the light bulb went on. In my pantry I have a package of Garlic and Herb Dressing from Good Seasons. You might remember, they make the dressing pack with the Cruet to mix a delicious vinaigrette, but this time I had a plan. I pulled out the mayonnaise dropped about 3 Tablespoons into a bowl, and sprinkled the seasoning packet on top. I did not use the whole packet. A little at a time, and taste as you go along, this way you don't end up with too much seasoning. Once I had the desired flavor, I added some water to thin out the dressing and would you believe we all loved it!
It just goes to show that Good Food In Good Time may come with some strange last minute additions that make all the difference to your meal. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
So while you may have thought I gave up on this Blog, I have not. I have been out of town, working on and off, for the past two weeks. So where does that leave my family eating when I am gone? I have to admit that, for the most part, the time that I am away I generally plan the meals as if I will be in town. However, since Mike does not walk in the door until 6:30, and the rest of the crew is babysitting Matthew or doing homework we usually switch to some go to meals that are easy and quick. In my world I am away on business, in yours it could be anything from a parent teacher meeting, a sick child at home, or a night out with your spouse.
Knowing that I was going to be away, I had a plan. For two weeks Jessica (daughter #2) has been asking for Chicken Pot Pie. I was going to need chicken, so I roasted an extra chicken, when I made Friday night dinner.
Sunday, I pulled out the chicken and de-boned it. I decided to prepare the chicken pot pie without baking it off. This way when the kids came home from school on Monday, they could place it in the oven and the puff pastry would bake off fresh. A hot fresh dinner would be on the table in about 30-40 minutes.
If you have never made chicken pot pie, I would say the hardest part is cutting the ingredients into pieces, and by the way you have everything you need in your home. Recipe will follow.
OK Monday night complete. As I think I have mentioned in the past, we try and rotate from a meal with meat or chicken to a dairy meal. A friend of mine called me last week to discuss dinners for the week and while she still can't get everyone to eat one meal she is getting close. She mentioned that they are having burritos for dinner and wanted to know what we were having. Funny, that's my Tuesday night plan. Burrito night in our place, is more like a make your own taco/burrito. Main ingredients: Tortilla (flour, corn, carb lovers, spinach..whatever you like), ground meat, chicken, tofu. In our home we use Morningstar Crumbles, flavored with Chili powder and cumin. At dinner we place the crumbles in a bowl, and the condiments around. This is the part where each person at your table can decide how they want their dinner. You may have a child that only eats the crumbles in a tortilla alone, or one that likes it with cheese and salsa. Any way you wrap it, it's good, because it's the way you like it. Some other condiments, may be guacamole, cilantro, black beans, corn, re-fried beans, sour cream, cheddar cheese, Spanish rice, and the list can go on and on.
Now the hard part, I confess, I bought a package of Hot Dogs and frozen fries for Wednesday night. While Hot Dogs are not the most nutritious, I feel better knowing that the dogs we buy are kosher, and therefore if it says beef it is beef. That's not to say that it is not filled with preservatives, but life needs hot dogs at times. Along with the hot dogs, I bought a bag of cole slaw. Somewhere along the way I started making cole slaw, I made up the dressing and it has become a staple. I have friends that are on the Atkins diet for years and I modified it so they could eat it. So now hot dog night has fresh veg!!!! Ah I can rest easy.
Finally got home today, just in time to shop and cook for Shabbat, oh and is it really Rosh Hashana next week???? Time to break out the honey and the apples.
Don't you just love fall? It makes Good Food In Good Time even better.
Chicken Pot Pie
2 Tbls Magarine 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1-2 Carrot thinly sliced 2 Cups Chicken Diced
1 Stalk of Celery thinly sliced 1 Potato Diced
1 Medium Onion chopped 5 Tbls Flour
2 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock 1/2 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Fresh Rosemary Chopped (optional) 1/4 cup Frozen Peas
1 Sheet Puff Pastry
Place oil and Margarine in a large hot pan. Saute Onion, Carrot and Celery until just soft. Next add diced potato and cook until potato softens. Add Flour and mix over heat just until the flour cooks about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, to pan and stir. There should not be any clumps at his point. Add Pepper and Rosemary. Salt to taste. Cook until thickened. Add Frozen Peas and chicken and heat through.
Pour Chicken and vegetables into an oven proof dish and set aside. Open the sheet of puff pastry and roll out to thin a bit. Place the pastry over the top of the chicken and vegetables and seal on the edges. Pierce the middle. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until top is golden brown.
Enjoy!!!!
Cole Slaw
1 Bag of pre-shredded Cole Slaw Mix
3 packets Splenda
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2-3 Heaping Tablespoons Mayonnaise
3-4 shakes of Hot Sauce (Optional)
Pinch of Salt and Pepper to taste
Open bag of Cole Slaw
Add remaining 4 ingredients and mix through. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Store for 2 hours or overnight.
Finally got home today, just in time to shop and cook for Shabbat, oh and is it really Rosh Hashana next week???? Time to break out the honey and the apples.
Don't you just love fall? It makes Good Food In Good Time even better.
Chicken Pot Pie
2 Tbls Magarine 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1-2 Carrot thinly sliced 2 Cups Chicken Diced
1 Stalk of Celery thinly sliced 1 Potato Diced
1 Medium Onion chopped 5 Tbls Flour
2 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock 1/2 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Fresh Rosemary Chopped (optional) 1/4 cup Frozen Peas
1 Sheet Puff Pastry
Place oil and Margarine in a large hot pan. Saute Onion, Carrot and Celery until just soft. Next add diced potato and cook until potato softens. Add Flour and mix over heat just until the flour cooks about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, to pan and stir. There should not be any clumps at his point. Add Pepper and Rosemary. Salt to taste. Cook until thickened. Add Frozen Peas and chicken and heat through.
Pour Chicken and vegetables into an oven proof dish and set aside. Open the sheet of puff pastry and roll out to thin a bit. Place the pastry over the top of the chicken and vegetables and seal on the edges. Pierce the middle. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until top is golden brown.
Enjoy!!!!
Cole Slaw
1 Bag of pre-shredded Cole Slaw Mix
3 packets Splenda
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2-3 Heaping Tablespoons Mayonnaise
3-4 shakes of Hot Sauce (Optional)
Pinch of Salt and Pepper to taste
Open bag of Cole Slaw
Add remaining 4 ingredients and mix through. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Store for 2 hours or overnight.
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