Feline Friday: Bread Bandit Strikes Again!

A few years ago at St. Patrick's Day, I happened upon a display of Irish soda bread at our local grocery store. Long story short: I became obsessed. I've bought it every St. Patrick's Day since, even after my Ancestry DNA confirmed I'm no longer Irish as I once thought I was!

Flash forward to this year. Our grocery store is out of business so I decided to take matters into my own hands and try making a loaf of Irish soda bread myself. To my great surprise, it turned out well!

There's no yeast in this bread and only a bit of kneading so it goes together quickly. 

Our grocery store used to put green sprinkles on their bread so we tried it, too. We should have skipped the sprinkles or gone all-in with them as they don't show too much in the end!

 

 

 

 So the bread looked like this just out of the oven -- a bit shaggy but it's close to how it should look. I probably should have shaped it a bit better as it splayed out quite a lot in the center.

 

 

 

 

 But inside, it was nothing but Irish goodness!

 

 

Now here is where the story takes a turn (cue dramatic music):

 I froze some of the bread and left half of it out on the counter. 

Later, I was in the living room when I heard a peculiar THUD. It was Lily jumping up onto the counter. She sauntered across the sink and made her way directly, without hesitation, to the Irish soda bread! I could not believe my eyes as she OPENED HER MOUTH WIDE and started to bite down on the plastic wrap!

 

I stood there long enough to catch a picture but caught her before she punctured the plastic. I gently lifted her down to the floor. Of course, I gave her a tiny sample which she happily gobbled down with no butter added! It's clear that this wee bandit  is Irish, too!

Happy Feline Friday AND St. Patrick's Day
from our Wee Irish Soda Bread Bandit!

 

 

Recipe: Homemade Salsa Verde

My daughter recently shared a recipe for homemade salsa verde. It seriously couldn't be easier...even I made it successfully!

You should be able to click on this image to enlarge it to see the recipe.

This easy recipe came from a Tex Mex cookbook in Bailey's boyfriend's growing collection. He has taken up cooking seriously in recent years, and her culinary skills have improved because of him! Even I've become a TINY bit more competent in the kitchen as a result of his suggestions and recipes. (I still have a LONG way to go...)

There are only a few ingredients in this recipe (tomatillos being the main one). Pop them in the blender, push the button a couple of times and you're done! As a bonus, I even whipped up a small batch of homemade guacamole.

The salsa and guacamole were really tasty with grilled chicken tacos, another recipe from the kids in Texas.

Even though she's very far away, I'll concede that there are a few good things about having a daughter in Texas...authentic TexMex recipes being one of them! 

jp

Kitchen Upgrades!

 It seems that having less than stellar kitchen tools runs in my family. My mom never had great equipment to work with and, since I've never felt very competent in the kitchen, I haven't invested in the best tools for myself. But I'm slowly trying to change that, having purchased an immersion blender and even a meat pounder recently. Now I don't have to flatten chicken with my magnetic craft hammer! (NOT KIDDING)

Awhile back, I decided I was tired of using the same silverware we've used since we got married many moons ago. I've never liked it and frankly I'm not even sure where it came from. My guess is that I earned it by purchasing groceries back when I was still living with my parents after college. (I earned an entire set of {ugly} china in that same way!) 

So I'd been looking for new silverware with a cleaner, simpler design and eventually found a set at Target. As it worked out, our daughter purchased it for me (us) for Christmas. I recently washed it all and put it into use and all I can say is WOW! It's a real treat to actually like the silverware you're using. Spouse requested service for 12 (!!) so now we never run out of any utensil!

 As if that's not exciting enough, Bailey gave me the most beautiful pan for my birthday! This is one of those really fancy pans that can go from stove top into the oven to finish whatever you're cooking. Now you must understand that this is a really big deal for me! My pans are in various stages of disrepair, and I have to tighten the handles to keep them from falling off. I've certainly never had a pan that could go from stove top to oven. There are recipes I have not been able to try because I didn't have the proper pan. It's like a whole new world!

I recently tried out the pan using Bailey's favorite chicken recipe. You coat the chicken in a dry rub mixture of spices, then brown it on both sides.

 

After browning, you pop it into the oven to finish cooking. Awhile back, Bailey also gave me a fancy instant-read thermometer so I could check to be sure the chicken was completely done. It was delicious! It's amazing what even I could do with this beautiful pan!

Thanks to Dear Daughter, I'm excited to have some wonderful new kitchen upgrades. With luck, this will mean more culinary success in the new year, and that's something EVERYONE can get excited about!

jp

Recipe Worth Repeating: Greek Pasta with Shrimp

 Whenever Spouse is out of town, I take the opportunity to make some foods he doesn't like. I'm very slowly making my way through quite a number of recipes which include fish or shrimp. He will not eat anything that "swims or crawls on the ocean floor". :)

Instead of trying a new recipe, the last time he was out of town I repeated a favorite from awhile back: Greek Pasta with Shrimp, Garbanzo Beans, and Lemon (I skipped the lemon...again). It was so good and made plenty of leftovers!

Check out the recipe in my past post HERE! It's definitely a keeper.

While I was shopping for food to make while he was gone, I picked up a rotisserie chicken on sale. After I finished with it, I plopped it into a pot of water and let it simmer for a couple of hours to make broth. And since I had recently brought inside my planters of sage and rosemary, I added a bit of both to the broth, along with some leftover onions.

In short order, I had three nice containers of broth to freeze for recipes. I use a lot of broth in soups and I've found that homemade broth is so much better than store-bought. It's worth the time to make whenever I have a rotisserie chicken in the house!

Hope you try the recipe and also make some broth! If you do, let me know in the comments below! :)

jp

New Recipe: Banh Mi Rice Bowls

Awhile back, Spouse and I went to a popular local restaurant and I ordered a banh mi sandwich for the first time. It was seriously one of the two best sandwiches I've ever had (the other being a Cuban sandwich at a place which is sadly now closed). The freshness and crunch of the vegetables against the richness of the pork (protein options vary) really appealed to me. And of course, THE BREAD. You just can't beat crusty French bread, in my opinion!

If this is a new sandwich to you, here's a quick description and picture.

What is in a banh mi sandwich?

The Vietnamese sandwich, sometimes called a "bánh mì sandwich", is a product of French colonialism in Indochina, combining ingredients from the French (baguettes, jalapeño, and mayonnaise) with native Vietnamese ingredients, such as coriander, cucumber, and pickled carrots and daikon.

I recently ran across a recipe for a Banh Mi Rice Bowl on Skinnytaste, an attempt to make this sandwich a little less carb-intensive. Now it's debatable how many carbs you actually save with the bowls (which include brown rice) versus the sandwich, but OH, MY GOODNESS...this recipe is fabulous in its own right! Even if you only make the pork and use it in another way, it would be great. 

I've hesitated to try making traditional banh mi sandwiches because the recipes all seemed a bit time-consuming, but this one calls for putting the pork in the crock pot which makes it super-simple. Other than grating the carrots (which somehow turned my kitchen into a war-zone!!!), it was a very simple process. AND SO GOOD! This recipe is definitely a keeper.

 

Banh Mi Rice Bowls - Skinnytaste

Ingredients:

For the pork:

• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce*
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the pickled carrot:

• 6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 radishes, cut into matchsticks

For the bowls:

• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup thinly sliced English cucumbers (about ½ small)
• 1 small jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place into the slow cooker. Combine the garlic, jalapeno, soy sauce and brown sugar and stir to dissolve, pour over the pork.(NOTE: If your slow cooker runs hot, add 1/4 cup water). Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until the pork is very tender, turning once half way through if desired. When the pork is ready, shred the meat. Reserve the sauce.
2. Meanwhile, while the pork is cooking, make the pickled carrots and radish: In a medium glass bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Add the carrots and radish and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Drain well and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. To assemble the bowls, place 3/4 cup rice in each bowl, top each with about 2 1/2 oz pork, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce then top with the 1/4 cup shredded cabbage, 1/4 cup pickled carrots, 1/4 cup cucumber, sliced jalapenos and cilantro.

Recipe: Moroccan Chickpea Salad

If you're looking for a healthful salad, something a little different, I would recommend trying this recipe for Moroccan Chickpea Salad from Clean Eating magazine. I've made this salad when Spouse is out of town (that means more for me!) and just recently tested it out on him. He's not a fan of mint, so I left the mint mostly out of his portion. Even so, Spouse gave this recipe a thumbs up. He suggested that we might add roast chicken to it next time, but we both agree that it's great just the way it is!

 Moroccan Chickpea Salad

Clean Eating - click HERE for a printable recipe and more info

 Whilst making this recipe, I had to take a picture of this beautiful red pepper, surely one of the most perfect specimens I've seen!

  This is how the salad looks before adding the dressing and feta. All kinds of healthiness in there!

 I added the dressing and feta a few hours before dinner so that the flavors had a time to meld a bit.

We had enough salad for the two of us for two full meals. Next time Spouse goes out of town, I'll make this delicious salad again -- just for me! If you try it, let me know!

jp

Easy Recipe: Thai Basil Chicken

 I've been growing a few herbs this summer, but none has done better than my Thai basil. It grows crazy fast and smells AMAZING! 

My basil recently got ahead of me and managed to set blooms. In theory, you don't want to let your herbs do that because the flavor can be compromised a bit at that point, but I didn't let that stop me from using this beautiful plant. When I brought it inside to cut off what I needed, I just cut off the blooms first.

A good -- and easy -- recipe for using up Thai basil is Thai Basil Chicken from Skinnytaste.com. Click HERE for the website and more about this delicious recipe, including a printable version.

This recipe calls for 3 cups of basil leaves. You'll think that sounds like way too much basil, but as soon as you put the leaves into the hot pan, they wilt. It's actually sort of amazing to see that wilting process! In no time at all, you have just the right amount of basil leaves. AND THE SMELL OF THIS COOKING...you'd almost think you were in a Thai restaurant -- if it weren't for the cats standing at your feet hoping for a sample!

This simple dish is SO good and SO easy to make! If you have basil you need to use up, this is definitely a recipe to try!

jp

Homemade Chicken Broth

I think rotisserie chicken is just about the best invention ever. My mom used to have one of those large tabletop rotisserie ovens that would roast two or three chickens at a time. In fact, just a few days before she passed away unexpectedly, my parents dropped by our house so that my mom could deliver a homemade rotisserie chicken to me. She had never brought me a chicken before, and it struck me at the time that she was so intentional about placing it in my hands.  I've always felt like my mom knew something was going to happen to her soon, and bringing me food was her way of taking care of me during the very rough week that was to come.

So for the longest time I associated rotisserie chicken with my mom and of course, I still do. It's taken me some time to come around to store-bought rotisserie chicken, but now I buy them often. The added flavor really enhances soups and salads. And trust me, my soups and salads could use a little enhancing! :)

Since rotisserie chickens can be kind of expensive, I like to get as much value as I can from them. Time permitting, I put the carcass (eww, I hate that word!) in water to make chicken broth. Now that I have lots of herbs growing, I add whatever is available to the pot (such as sage and rosemary) and set it to boil. If you have leftover celery or carrots, throw them in the pot, too. (Warning: This operation will attract hungry kitties to the kitchen!!)

After awhile, most of the remaining bits of meat fall off the bone and you're left with a broth that can be strained for recipes.

Last week I was able to get four containers of broth from one chicken! The broth is very handy to have around for all kinds of recipes and it's more flavorful than store-bought chicken broth. I labeled the containers and popped them in the freezer for future use.

If you're using rotisserie chicken, I'd definitely suggest giving homemade chicken broth a try. It's a great way to get more value for your money, and I know my mom would approve. :)

jp

Recipe: Penzeys Northwoods Chicken Stew

Note for those who are punctuation-sensitive, like me: "Penzeys" does not have an apostrophe! Trust me, I checked multiple times. :)

Today's recipe for Northwoods Chicken Stew is one I've made many times over the years but for some reason have not shared! I found this recipe in a Penzeys Spices catalog a few years back. In addition to the word "Northwoods" in the title which just makes you feel all warm and cabin-y, this is a delicious winter stew. It makes a LOT, so you'll have plenty for leftovers or for freezing.

As usual, I mixed it all up early in the day and let it simmer for a few hours in the crock pot. I really like not having to worry about dinner at the last minute! As it turned out, it snowed this afternoon, making this a perfect recipe for chilly evening!

I love Penzeys Spices. We're lucky to have a store in our area, and I enjoy going inside just for the wonderful aromas. Beyond that, their spices are always great. You can find anything you might need there, from many varieties of cinnamon to wonderful spice blends like the Northwoods Seasoning which is used in this recipe. While you're visiting Penzeys, you can also pick up a free catalog and recipes. Over the years, I've made several recipes from the Penzeys catalog and have always found them to be wonderful!

 

The last time I was at Penzeys, I bought some Indian spice blends and a big bag of Northwoods Seasoning, almost enough to fill this bottle! Northwoods Seasoning is a blend of paprika, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and ground chipotle pepper. It has just a little bit of kick but not too much.

 If you don't have a Penzeys store in your area, definitely check out the website for many great spices and spice blends as well as yummy recipe ideas!

I cannot find this recipe on the Penzeys website (go figure!) but I did find it HERE if you prefer an online source. 

Northwoods Chicken Stew

Source: Penzeys Spices

Recipe: Slow Cooker Picadillo

We tried a new recipe this past week, one that I found awhile back via Skinnytaste, one of my favorite sites for relatively healthful recipes. This recipe, Slow Cooker Picadillo, is great and seems like it would be very versatile. It makes a lot and re-heats well, so we enjoyed it for a few days for both dinner and lunch!

 

Any recipe that starts out with capers and green olives is already a winner in my book!

 And you know I'm a sucker for a good crock pot recipe! Whenever I come home to something cooking in the crock pot, I feel like I have succeeded in life. :)

Dinner smelled super yummy when I came home that day! 
Life goal = met!

In fact, dinner smelled so good that we ate it right away, before I could take a picture of it! Just imagine this mixture, cooked down a bit and over rice. I'm sure you get the idea!

We don't use a lot of ground beef at our house, and I'm sure you could substitute any other type of meat in this recipe.

In addition, I would think you could use it in wraps or even in taco shells if you drain off a little liquid or mix in some rice. I'll definitely be making it again soon!

jp

Recipe: Skinny Baked Potato Soup

Hello and happy Monday! 

 It seems that lately I've been making a LOT of soup in the crock pot. I do like soup, but I mainly make it because I like not having to worry about dinner at the last minute. I always feel so organized (ha!) on days when dinner is simmering away in the crock pot!

For the past couple of years, I've also been working to change how I cook, using far fewer "processed" foods, fewer carbs, and more fresh ingredients. This recipe from Baked Potato Soup is a great example of the type of recipes I've been trying to make. It's full of veggies, lower in fat than regular baked potato soup, and once it's mixed up, you can put it in the crock pot and forget about it.  Then when you come home, your house will smell great and dinner is already made!

Baked Potato Soup

Recipe from Skinnytaste

Note: We skipped the bacon (*sniff*sniff*). Of course, this yummy soup would be even better with bacon! I also skipped the cheese (not a fan of cheddar!) and didn't miss it one bit.

 

Here are a couple of pictures I took as I made this recipe. In retrospect, I probably should have cut up the potatoes and cauliflower a bit more. I asked a LOT of my immersion blender!

 But low and behold, it delivered! This handy tool blended the entire pot of cooked potatoes and cauliflower with ease.

  Take a look at that! In the olden days before I got my immersion blender, I would attempt to pour hot liquid into my blender to puree it. As you can imagine, that did not always end well!

This soup is so delicious! I happen to love cauliflower but the taste is subtle enough that you'd almost never guess it was in there. And it makes a good amount: We had enough soup for two suppers and were sorry when it was gone! 

Hope you'll give this yummy -- and healthful -- recipe a try!

jp

Recipe: Black Bean Avocado Salsa

A couple of weeks ago, I made Black Bean Avocado Salsa to take to a party. This is a fantastic salsa to serve with tortilla chips, but I don't make it very often because it makes a LOT. Unfortunately, it's a difficult recipe to cut in half because it calls for full cans of this and that. But if you need a great salsa to feed a crowd, this is your recipe! It's colorful, fairly good for you (LOOK! VEGETABLES!), and easy to whip together. I hope you'll give it a try!

 

--- Black Bean Avocado Salsa ---

Mix together:

2 cans black beans, drained

1 can white corn, drained 

1 can Mexicorn, drained

1 chopped red onion

1 can petite diced tomatoes

6 green onions

3 chopped avocados

2 diced jalapenos (or 1 small can)

Mix and pour over the vegetables:

1 package dry Italian Dressing

1 cup oil (I used 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup water)

1/2 cup vinegar

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Great Recipe: West Coast Chicken Salad

 What's this? Two good salad recipes in close succession? What is going on?! No, you're not reading the wrong blog!

We tried another new recipe recently, and I'd say this one is going to the top of the list! This is another handy "serves as a meal" salad. I love this kind of dinner where nothing else is needed! It would be great with bread, but we're cutting out bread (*SOBS QUIETLY*) so there was none of that for us this time!

I've had this recipe for a long time but had never tried it. I'm not even sure where I found it, but I'm glad I kept it all these years!

This looked like a salad that needed a bit of time to marinate so I started it very early in the morning -- so early that I was on my first cup of coffee!

Of course, it wouldn't be a new recipe without my forgetting SOMETHING. Sure enough, I forgot to buy both tomatoes and radishes. Good grief! Spouse scored some brownie points by making a quick run to the store for me.

 Like the last new recipe I shared, there was a lot of chopping involved with this salad, too, which was dangerous since I was doing all of this before my first cup of coffee and with my eyes still halfway shut. But other than slightly mushy avocado, it all worked out!

 As you can see, this recipe also makes a LOT of salad. But it's nice to have leftovers when it's something as good as this! If you're looking for a great summer salad, I would definitely recommend this one!

jp

Recipe: Mediterannean Tuna Salad With Un-Zesty Dijon Vinaigrette

We tried a new recipe last week, and it's a keeper! There was a LOT of vegetable chopping involved, and it's a minor miracle I didn't end up in the emergency room. But I survived, and Spouse says this is a recipe he'd have again -- just not every week. :)

I found this recipe in the newspaper, which is not my normal source for such things. I tried to make it pretty much as written, minus the red onions (which I don't eat) and using a little less celery and mint (for Spouse).

At the grocery store, I could not find packaged fresh mint, so I asked Mr. Produce Guy about it. He told me that there's a mysterious nationwide shortage of mint right now. Well, I'm pleased to report that I solved this mystery on the drive home. I'm quite sure that the shortage is due to all the MINT JULEPS that were made for the Kentucky Derby! :)

Anyway, since I couldn't find any mint to purchase, I bought a small mint plant in the garden tent at the grocery store to put in a container on the patio. I use a lot of mint in cooking anyway, so this will be handy to have. Assuming I keep it alive, that is. :)

This recipe called for stocking up on lots of vegetables, including radishes and celery. For whatever reason, I almost never buy either of them, but it was really nice to have them in the fridge for snacking. I'll definitely buy them more often!

 Back to the salad! As I mixed up the dressing, it didn't seem like there was enough, so I added more oil to increase the volume. Unfortunately, I forgot to add more mustard so my poor salad wasn't "Zesty" at all. But it was still fresh, crunchy, and very healthful!

Be forewarned: This recipe makes a LOT! We had plenty for two dinners. This is one of those salads which is actually better on the second day. It would be great in a pita the second time around, but of course I forgot to buy them!

If you're looking for a nice summer salad which serves as a meal in itself, I'd encourage you to give this one a try!
jp