Pinterest

 Last weekend I was talking to my husband about something I found on Pinterest that I wanted him to make. (He's pretty handy when it comes to building things.)
 "Wait, you're using Pinterest?"
 "Yeah, I've found lots of great ideas there."
 "What exactly is Pinterest?"
 "It's a social networking site for sharing webpages and ideas. Why, what did you think it was?"
 "Well, a co-worker said it was soft porn for women."
 "Wat? No. Why do you think that?"
 "It's just women looking at a bunch of stuff they can't have."
I laughed. "Ok, I can see that. But I use it to get recipes and other ideas. Well, ok I do have a thing for pretty cakes too."
 So, yes I finally jumped on the bandwagon that is Pinterest. If you are so inclined, you can follow me here. Oh, and Happy Leap Year!

Food Storage Friday: Sweet Chilean Lime Beans and Rice

Recently I got a recipe exchange chain email from a friend of mine. I passed it on to several people in my address book including an old nursing instructor. She's currently serving a mission so declined to participate, but did give me this recipe for Sweet Chilean Lime Beans and Rice. I tweaked it so it worked well in my crock pot and had a stronger lime flavor. My husband (one of my toughest and most important food critics) loved it. This with a side of fruit makes a complete meal, but it would also go great as a side with enchiladas, tacos or chipotle seasoned and grilled meat. The lime and sweetness is subtle, but gives it a nice flavor. Honestly it has more of a pepper, garlic and onion flavor than sugar and lime.

Sweet Chilean Lime Beans and Rice
Food Storage Ingredients:
4 (15 oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
7 cups broth (chicken, vegetable, whatever)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons white sugar
2 cups brown rice or 3 cups instant white rice
salt to taste

Fresh Ingredients:
2 green bell peppers, seeded, 1 diced
2 yellow onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic 
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup champagne (I used sparkling red grape juice)

1. Put 6 cups of broth, beans and diced bell pepper in crock pot on high for one hour. 2. Blend onions, remaining pepper, black pepper, cumin, sugar, 1 cup of broth and garlic until smooth. Add to beans. 3. If using brown rice, stir into beans and cook for three hours. If not, just cook for three hours and add instant white rice ten minutes before done. 4. Half an hour before finished slowly pour in champagne (or juice) and lime juice. Makes 10 servings.

Notes: The original recipe called for instant rice. I really prefer brown, so that's what we used with my adjustment, but the instant white rice should work.

Food Storage Friday: Cranberry Upside-Down Breakfast Cake

I found this recipe in the newspaper a couple weeks ago and made it for my family last weekend (adapted using food storage). It was delicious and helped me use some of the very large bag of cranberries that I have in my freezer. (That's three experimental recipes in a row and they were all winners! Score!) My family made this disappear fast. We will definitely be making this again, but only for special occasions, because it is very sugary.

Cranberry Upside-Down Breakfast Cake
Food Storage Ingredients:
1/4 cup of chopped almonds
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Fresh Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, divided & softened
1 tsp orange rind
5 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used rice milk with vinegar.)
1 & 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (or frozen and defrosted)
1 heaping Tbsp ground flax seed

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9" square or round pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. 2. In a small bowl combine almonds, cranberries, and orange rind. 3. In a small saucepan combine three Tablespoons orange juice, two Tablespoons butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir constantly for three minutes and pour into pan. Cover with cranberry mixture. 3. Whisk flours, salt, flax seed and baking soda in a medium bowl. 4.In a large bowl, beat white sugar and remaining butter until creamy. Add vanilla, egg and flour mixture. Spoon over cranberries. 5. Bake for 40 minutes or until passes toothpick test. Cool in pan for 5 minutes while making glaze. 6. Mix remaining orange juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour over inverted cake.

Notes: I was surprised that it turned out looking as well as it did, because after I inverted it about 90% of the sugary coating was stuck to the bottom of the pan. Wha? I used a non-stick silicone pan and sprayed and flour it. So I scraped the sugary mess out of the pan with a fork and then arranged it back on the cake. Most of the cranberries had migrated into the cake, but the nuts were left behind in the pan with the sugar. Now that won't do. That orange glaze really helped with the appearance of the cake. So just make sure that you HEAVILY grease your pan.

Tips on Newborn Diapers

Cindy Lou-Who modeling the W brand diaper

 Through personal experience and talking to other moms I have determined that when it comes small babies (7-10 pounds), Pampers Swaddlers size 1 (8-14lbs) are more effective than Huggies at preventing leaks. After that stage I generally use Huggies because there are more coupons and deals available, and there's not a big difference.
 Last Saturday night, we were staying with family and I realized we only had 3 diapers left. So I made a late night run to Walgreen's. They did not have Pampers Swaddlers in size 1 stocked. So I decided to give the store brand a whirl. The Walgreens newborn diapers are sized up to 10 lbs, so I tried those.  I found that I have been having even fewer leaks than I did with the Pampers, and they are significantly less expensive.

Here's the price comparison for the Walgreen's that I stopped at.
Pamper's Swaddlers size 1- 40 diapers- $11.99
Walgreen's Newborn- 42 diapers-$8.99

Currently there is a P&G (manufacturer's) coupon out for $1.50 off 2 packs of Pampers or one case, and if you ask at the make-up counter there is another coupon (store) for $2 off any package of Pamper's diapers. At Walgreen's you can use both a store & a manufacturer's coupon for the same product. (Ask for the Infant Care coupon brochure.) So if the Pampers were available my total would have been $18.48 plus tax.

Currently (through 9/24/11) there is a deal where when you buy one Walgreen's product you can get a second of the same for 50% off. And in the Infant Care coupon brochure there is also a coupon for $2 off any Walgreen's Brand diapers jumbo pack. (Because it is a store coupon the $4 is taken off before the 50% off discount.) So my total was $10.48 plus tax for 2 packages of diapers. And they are just as good if not better for the stage that my infant is at right now. And yes, you don't have the reward codes, but a discount of $4 per package of diapers is worth more than a reward code.

Adventures with the Produce Co-op

We have been enjoying our Bountiful Baskets, (and I have talked about them before.) I've found that one basket gives us enough produce to last our family about 2 weeks. Having a variety of produce has encouraged all of us to try many exotic (and some not so exotic) fruits and vegetables that we definitely wouldn't try otherwise. I should also point out that usually our basket is full of ordinary produce that I would probably buy anyway, just at a better price. Here are a few of the less typical items:

1. Canary Melon- It's bright yellow and looks something like a lemon on steroids. It tastes something like a cross between a cantaloupe, a honeydew and a pear. You eat it fresh like any other melon.

2. Chayote- Known by many names, including alligator pear. It's a part of the melon/squash family and tastes like a mix between a cucumber, a green pepper, and snap peas. I chopped it up, threw it into salads and ate some raw with dip. You can also cook it like a squash.

3. Parsnips- A root vegetable that looks like a large white carrot, but is sweeter and starchier. I put some in a vegetable chowder and chicken pot pie. I also tried mashing them and making them into fries as I've read that they're very much like a potato, but healthier. Not a big winner with my family.

5. Persimmons- I don't know how to describe the taste. It's a sweet tropical fruit. I put a few into a fruit salad and ate some raw. I loved them.

6. Collard Greens- A member of the cabbage family, and I was unable to find a recipe that made them taste like anything I would want to eat. Every recipe involved boiling them. I tried it and bleh. If I ever get these again they will probably go straight to the compost.

7. Green Chard- This is somewhat like spinach, but a little fleshier. I did not have high hopes for it, but I steamed it and then baked it in a quiche with some onions and garlic and it was really good. I also chopped up some into a green salad. That was ok.

8. Daikon Radish- This root vegetable reminds me of jicama and something else I can't define. It's good raw, in salads and made into pickles.

Food Storage Friday: Thai Vegetables and Rice

Last week I decided to try out the Asian pack when I ordered my Bountiful Basket. It came with Napa cabbage, bok choy (another kind of cabbage that is very large), fresh ginger, basil, garlic and snow peas. I don't think that I will get it again, because that is just a whole lot of cabbage.

Regardless, I tried to make good use of it, the other fresh produce on hand and incorporate my food storage too. I found this recipe in How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (possibly my new favorite book), and made a few modifications. It's kind of like a Thai-style curry. I don't know if this recipe will make it into my standard repertoire, because it called for a wide variety of fresh ingredients that I may or may not generally have on hand, but I like it and will probably make it again on occasion.

Thai Vegetables
Food Storage Ingredients:
2-3 cups prepared white rice
3 Tablespoons oil (canola, peanut or corn)
1 dried chile
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups coconut milk

Fresh Ingredients:
1 plum tomato, diced
1 medium yellow squash, cut into chunks
6 green onions, diced
1 cup snow peas
2 medium carrots, diced
2 Tablespoons garlic
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
zest of 1-2 limes

1. Add oil to a wok or large skillet. When hot, add onions and carrots. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 2. Add garlic, ginger, chile and squash. Adjust heat so that vegetables are cooking quickly without burning, about 10 minutes. 3. Add tomato and snow peas and cook for another 10 minutes. 4. Add coconut and lime zest and simmer for about 5 minutes. 5. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper if necessary.

Here's what it looks like in the wok when finished.

There are tons of variations you can do with this. You can increase quantities of or change  for different vegetables. Some of his suggestions were eggplant, zucchini, celery or potato. I think water chestnuts  and bell peppers would also be good. You can add chicken, pork or tofu for more protein or fresh basil, mint, or cilantro for different flavors. And because some like it hot, you can increase the amount of chiles you put in. I used half the amount of chiles that the original called for.

Fresh bok choy

In case you are wondering what that green and white stuff on the side is, it's quick cooked bok choy. Another recipe from How to Cook Everything. I was not as pleased with it as other recipes of his I tried. I think I may just blame the vegetable here. The stalk (white part) is good, it becomes creamy and tender, but the greens tastes like boiled spinach, even though that part was cooked for half as long. Bleh. Thing 1 was willing to try it, but I couldn't blame her when she spit out the green part.

Bountiful Baskets

Not my pic, but gives you an idea of what to expect.

Now I know that I have mentioned these several times, but I keep coming across people (who live here in Utah) who haven't heard of it or haven't tried it. This is for you.
  Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op (and it's so awesome I feel like I must sing its praises from the rooftops.) How it works is you pay you $15 (plus $1.50 handling fee and $3 basket fee if it is your first time) on Monday evening/Tuesday morning online and then pick up your produce Saturday morning at the specified time. (What time you pick it up depends on your location.) For your $16.50 you get one small laundry basket of fruits and one small laundry basket of veggies. What you get is a surprise, but we love the surprise and the variety. It gets us to try new things and really makes it easier for us to get more fresh produce into our diet, not to mention it saves a lot of money. And if you are more than 20 minutes late, your produce is donated to a shelter.
  Here's what we got last Saturday: 1 pineapple, 1 small container of blackberries, several apples, several asian pears, 2 bunches of bananas, one cantaloupe, 2 heads of romaine lettuce, 1 bunch of celery, 1 spaghetti squash, 3 yellow squash and 4 tomatoes. I dare you to find that much produce for that price. (I would have taken a picture, but by the time I got home from work, several items had already been eaten. :D)The only item I wouldn't have readily bought was the spaghetti squash. I've never tried it or been interested in trying it. But we baked it, pulled out the insides, mixed in garlic, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan and it was delicious! It was like pasta, but tastier.

 In addition to the "canasta de frutas", there are other things that you can purchase with your basket, but you have to buy a basket in order to buy them. On Saturday we got a citrus pack, which is 24 lbs of random citrus fruit for $18.50. Wow, we lucked out again. It included mandarin oranges, pomelos, grapefruit, lemons, limes and navel oranges for about 77 cents per pound. We also got 5 loaves of 9 grain bread for $10. Yes, I know that if I do some deal hunting I can get bread cheaper than that, however, this bread is delicious, and when I'm getting a basket anyway, more convenient. All total it was $45 for enough bread and produce to last us for at least 2 weeks.
 Other bonus things that I have gotten from Bountiful Baskets: the Mexican pack- fresh cilantro, mexican squash, avocados, green onions, various chiles, garlic, tomatillos, limes and yellow onions,  ($7.50, we love this at our house), the Italian pack- fresh rosemary, basil, thyme, Italian parsley and other herbs, eggplant, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes (also $7.50 another winner, except for the eggplant), Ciabatta bread- five loaves for $10, (I was amazed, but we went through all of these in a week) and Tortilla pack- a whole lot of tortillas for $10 and they were better quality than the ones I generally get. Other bonus items that I've seen and not tried, Honey Crisp apple case (still kicking myself for not getting them), Peaches by the case, gingerbread house kit, large bag of Green Chiles, pumpkins, chili bread, pumpkin bread, cookies, cookie decorating kits, granola bars, granola, pickling cucumbers, tomatoes and corn. And every other week you can get your basket in the organic variety for $10 extra.
 Bountiful Baskets are available in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. If you live in any of these states, I highly recommend that you check and see if there is a location near you.
 I was hesitant about trying this at first because I didn't think my family would eat most of it and I thought too much would go to waste. I will say that there have been items that we got that I just tossed because life was busy and I couldn't get to doing something with it before it went bad, however overall it has been a fantastic experience and very cost effective. And if you feel like it is too much for your family size, try splitting it with a friend or neighbor. Oh, and make sure you bring your own basket/box/bag to carry your produce home in.

(Note, I am in no way being compensated for writing this, I just think that it is something that makes my life better and is worth sharing.)

Book Review: 101 Things to Do With Yogurt

101 Things Things to Do With Yogurt by Geneva Stringham is another fun book that I snagged a deal on recently. I honestly had no idea that there were so many things that you could do with yogurt. This book also teaches you how to make your own yogurt, if you're feeling ambitious. I would say this is a new favorite and I will be using it again. Eating yogurt on a regular basis improves your digestive health and helps to prevent illness. It has a fish taco recipe that doesn't involve frying, so I thought I would give it a try. I had family visiting a few weeks ago and served it to them. It was such a big hit that we made it again the next weekend when the other side of the family came to visit. Even some family members who don't like fish, liked these tacos. And they're so easy to make! (Another helpful hint I've discovered that frozen tilapia fillets are normally cheaper at Smith's than at Costco, and right now they're on sale, so it's an even better deal.)

Fish Tacos Baja Style
Sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

Tacos:
1 pound mahimahi or tilapia
lime pepper
12 fresh corn tortillas
1 ripe avocado, chopped
lime wedges
grated Mexican blend cheese
fresh salsa (mango-peach works particularly well)

Combine sauce ingredients and refrigerate. Sprinkle each side of fish fillets with lime pepper and grill until thoroughly cooked. Wrap tortillas in a clean dish towel and steam for 30 seconds in the microwave. For each taco spread a teaspoon of yogurt sauce in a tortilla, add several bite-size pieces of grilled fish and remaining taco toppings as desired. Serves 6

I served this with Baked Chile Relleno and Cafe Rio Style Cilantro Lime Rice.

Book Review: 101 Things to Do With Chicken

Recently when I was looking for a gift for my dad I came across several of the "101Things" books at 60% off. I have a few of them and have been pleased thus far, so I bought four more. This weekend I read through all of them and I'm so excited to try several of the recipes. 101 Things to Do With Chicken by Donna Kelly and Stephanie Ashcraft had several recipes that look really great, but there were also some that made me think "You don't really need a recipe for that. There are also a few that are repeats from other books in the series. Having said that I still think that it was worth it. At the beginning of the book is a list of helpful hints which I'll share, plus my version of the recipe that I tried yesterday.

1. Always make sure that chicken is thoroughly cooked. Juices should run clear and there shouldn't be any pink present. Chicken thighs should reach 175 degrees. Chicken and eggs are frequent carriers of salmonella.
2. Chicken stored in the fridge should be used within 1-2 days.
3. A whole chicken takes 36 hours to defrost. Chicken pieces usually take 12-24 hours to defrost.
4. All cut chicken on a non-pourus plastic or glass cutting board. And never cross-contaminate by using the knife you used to cut chicken to cut something else.
5. Bringing chicken to room temperature before cookin will help it to remain moist and cook evenly.
6. Soaking in brine with add moistness and flavor to baked or roasted chicken. Add 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water. Place chicken and brine in ziplock bag. For a carmelized flavor, also add 1/4 cup sugar to brine. Soak chicken in brine for at least an hour per pound or overnight. Drain before cooking.
7. For crispy skin on roasted or fried chicken,  leave chicken uncovered in the fridge for a few hours before cooking.
8. When roasting or grilling a chicken, allow to set at room temperature for ten minutes before slicing so that the juices can be reabsorbed into the meat.
9. 1 lb bonless skinless chicken yields about 3 cups of cubed or sliced chicken.

Tangy Strawberry Chicken Bites
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenders or breasts cut into small chunks
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup strawberry preserves
1 cup chili sauce
1 can (20oz) pineapple chunks, drained
2 large carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper cut into small chunks
3 cups of prepared brown rice

1. Cook chicken in oil over medium heat until browned on all sides. Meanwhile steam carrot slices in microwave with 1/8 cup water for 3 minutes. 2. Drain carrots and add to chicken with preserves, pepper and chili sauce. Cook and stir until preserves are melted. 4. Add pineapple chunks, simmer for one minute and serve over rice.

The Verdict: This recipe was actually in the appetizer section, but I decided to increase the pineapple, add some veggies and serve it over rice to make it a meal. I liked this, my husband loved it, my son who isn't feeling well wouldn't try it and neither would my daughter. I thought perhaps if I served it with toothpicks they might be willing to try it. No such luck. I apologize that there isn't picture, the batteries in my camera died, again. :S

Coupon Books Review

I used to be of the opinion that I do not spend money on coupons. Coupons are to save me money. I have since learned that purchasing the right coupons can save me a lot of money. Here's the pros and cons of the coupon books that I have purchased.


St George Treasure Chest- $45 Coupon value used- $265 (Plus I gave away a couple hundred dollars worth of coupons to friends, neighbors and random strangers.) One day someone called my house and asked if I wanted to buy this coupon book as part of a fundraiser for some foundation for children's safety. (Sorry I can't remember the name of the organization.) The book contained around $1500 worth of coupons. All of the food coupons were Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons, which sets me up to spend money that I didn't plan on spending. But many of them were just for free stuff. We got a month's membership at a local gym, a few car washes, a few oil changes, a carpet cleaning and a few hair cuts. Being new to the area, it was great to refer to. Need a haircut? I'm calling this hairdresser who will do it for free. Of course you still have to tip for services, but she is winning too, because she did a good job and we'll go back to her, whereas I never would have come across her business otherwise. Don't want to make dinner? Let's check out the B1G1 coupons. Other than setting me up to spend money I didn't plan on, another downside is that several of the coupons in the book were for local businesses that had gone out of business. A few others had bad phone numbers. Still others wouldn't even honor the coupons. And of course these coupons can only used in the St George area. I'm really glad that I purchased it, however I was expecting the businesses to be a little more cooperative. This book expired June 1st. I found someone who had bought one a few years ago, so hopefully one will come out soon, but I haven't seen any yet.

Dixie Direct- $35 Coupon value used so far-$75 My husband has a soft spot for marching band, partly because that's where we met, so when one of his high school students asked him to buy this to help him raise money for his marching band trip, of course he said yes. He probably would have bought two if the kid had asked him. This one doesn't have nearly as many "strictly free" coupons. Although it does have many offers for places we go to anyway, and I like that you don't have to take the whole book with you. It comes with a punch card that you keep in your wallet. Most participating businesses advertise that they take the Dixie Direct card and will tell you what their offers are. Not as much bang for buck as the Treasure Chest, but there is a much longer window to use the coupons (six more months). Also it's not nearly as easy to share the coupons you don't plan to use because 90(+)% are on the card and you have to have the card to redeem them. I also liked it because it helped me to get to know what's available locally.

The Entertainment Book 2010-$35 Coupon value redeemed so far- $5. Now this one is normally $35, but as most of the coupons expire in November of this year, it seems that every other week there is a great sale. I actually got 2 for $7.50 each. A week later I saw an even better deal. The beauty of the entertainment book is that there is one for most areas throughout the nation. So if you're planning a vacation this can be very helpful. The one for the state of Utah is called "Utah Happenings". I didn't buy it because it because glancing through the list that was available online, it seemed like most of the coupons were for Northern Utah. (It could be great if you live up there, but not worth it for us southern desert dwellers.) I did buy Chicago Southwest and Las Vegas. I haven't used any for Vegas yet, but we plan on visiting a couple times this summer and I'm certain that I'll get my monies worth there and then some. The problem with the Chicago Entertainment book is that there are actually two, they're both enormous and I think that I picked the wrong one. For someone who is not familiar with any of the businesses inside, it's a little overwhelming. "$1800 worth of coupons" One place we tried had kind of weird hours and had closed 10 minutes before we got there. And then we used one $5 coupon for a burger place. We had planned on using a couple coupons for some museums there in Chicago, but found that it was more cost effective to just buy a city pass. If we were in Chicago for more than 2 days and had someone with us who knew the area, perhaps we could have used more of the coupons that were in it. As it was I gave the book to an acquaintance who lives near there. (Minus a few coupons that I gave to random strangers, because let's be real, I won't be back before November.)

Crafting with a Purpose: The Write It Out Project

Yesterday I came across a service project that sounded so awesome I committed before I thought whether or not I was getting ahead of myself. The Write It Out Project was started by an Iraqi War widow who wanted to do something to help other military widows out there cope with their loss. So she decided to enlist as many women as she can to make handmade journals for these women. This is such an awesome idea. I am a firm believer that writing is a great way to deal with stress. I was so excited I committed to making five before I even looked at the instructions. Oh shoot, I don't craft and I don't own a sewing machine. But if ever there was a reason to craft, this is it. Here is a tutorial with pictures. (It doesn't look that hard.) So I'll give it a shot. And since I committed to making these journals there is now an option where you can help, no crafting involved. You can donate a few dollars to pay for shipping. Plus extra bonus, there is a giveaway involved! When you donate money for shipping, commit to making journals, blog about the service project, comment on the prizes or become a follower of We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ you can be entered into a giveaway to win one of several very cute patriotic themed prizes. Hooray for prizes! But that's not why I'm saying this, sure great bonus, but the real reason is I am so very grateful for our servicemen and women and their families. Yes, our country is not perfect, but I am so grateful for the freedoms that we have. And those freedoms come with a price, a very high one in fact. We have the freedoms that we have because of the sacrifices of the millions of young soldiers since this country was founded, many who sacrificed their lives leaving many loved ones behind. I am asking anyone who possibly can to get involved. If you craft, fantastic! If not, donate or spread the word.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

OK friends, I've finally joined twitter. If you care to know the details about what I'm doing to try to save money and my sanity check it out here. Fill free to throw me a tweet.

Skinny Bovine's Kitchen

Recently I stumbled on this blog. Britt is a stay at home mom who loves to cook and for health reasons can only eat healthy things, and like so many of us is trying to do it on a budget. Healthy cooking on a budget, now that's something of great interest to me.  In addition to recipes, she has tips on healthy eating throughout her blog. Last week I tried a few of her recipes and here are the results. (Just look at her pics because they turned out so much better than mine.) To see more of her awesome recipes check out skinnybovineskitchen.blogspot.com

 Black Bean and Mushroom Burgers
1 dash olive oil, plus additional for brushing
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular)
4 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, lightly toasted
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) crumbled goat cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 ciabatta buns, split and toasted
your choice of toppings
Preheat grill. In a large skillet, heat a dash of oil over medium-high. Add onion - cook until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, garlic, cumin and paprika - cook until the mushrooms have released their juices, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Tear toasted bread into pieces and place into a food processor (or blender) - process until broken down into crumbs (I used 6 slices of bread because the pieces were small and when it came time to make the patties the consistency didn't seem stiff enough). Pour into a medium bowl. Add mushroom mixture, beans and cilantro into the food processor bowl - pulse until combined, but not smooth - leave some chunky bits.  (At this point I couldn't help but sing "Mix it in a mincer and pretend it's beef " from Les Mis.) Scoop mixture into the bowl with the bread crumbs - add goat cheese and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Mix ingredients together, then divide into four equal portions. with dampened hands, shape each portion into 4 thick patties. Lightly brush each side of all patties with oil. (I still couldn't get them to form patties very well. I just plopped a giant scoop of the mixture on my Foreman grill and it worked, although my patties seemed to be much flatter and wider than hers.)
Place patties onto the grill and cook until thoroughly heated through and the outside has crisped, about 8 minutes per side. Serve burgers on toasted buns and with desired toppings.

The Verdict: These were really, really good. Even meat loving man liked them, although he was kind of sceptical when he walked in the kitchen and I was in the mixing phase. I didn't even try to get the kids to eat them, they don't even like real meat. I will definitely make these again.

Engagement Chicken

3 lbs whole chicken
2 medium lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
sea salt (to taste)
ground black pepper (to taste)
optional: I also added 6 cloves of garlic to the inside of the chicken

1. Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
2. Wash chicken inside and out with cold water, remove the giblets, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander until it reaches room temperature (about 15 min). Pat dry with paper towels.
3. Pour lemon juice all over the chicken (inside and outside), season with salt and pepper.
4. Prick the whole lemons three times with a fork and place deep inside the cavity (I cut them 1/2 way through). (Tip: if lemons are hard, roll on the countertop with your palm to get juices flowing.)
5. Place the chicken breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan, lower heat to 350 and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and turn it breast-side up; Return it to oven for 35 minutes more.
7. Test for doneness - a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh should read 180, or juices should run clear when chicken is pricked with a fork.
8. Continue baking if necessary.
9. Let chicken cool for a few minutes before carving.
10. Serve with juices.

The Verdict: This didn't turn out as well as I had imagined, but I claim all the blame. I pulled the chicken out of the freezer Monday morning and put it in the fridge. Tuesday evening when I started it was still frozen. So I defrosted it in the microwave for 30 minutes. I baked it for 10 minutes longer than recommended and the juices where I stabbed ran clear, so I thought it was done. When meat loving man started carving it became apparent that it wasn't. So I cooked it some more, and some more. I ended up cooking it for 2 hours total before I felt it was done enough.
 Rewind to when I thought dinner was supposed to be ready. I had put out a clean table cloth, used my best plates, opened a bottle of sparkling French lemonade and made delicious potatoes with garlic and fresh rosemary. And that's what we had for dinner: potatoes and lemonade. The kids had chicken nuggets with their potatoes and we had engagement chicken more than an hour later. The chicken was good, but it was quite the hassle. I was also reminded of why I only buy my chicken in skinless boneless form. I really don't like having to touch raw meat. (The next day I used the carcass to make some great chicken stock. It made my whole house smell wonderful.) So I may possibly make this again, but not often and I won't freeze and defrost the chicken.

Cilantro Lime Chicken and Black Bean Pizza

Chicken:

1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients and marinate all day or overnight. Cook chicken in marinade in a saucepan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cumin and black pepper while cooking.

Pizza Sauce:

3/4 cup fat free sour cream

5-6 tablespoons cilantro, tightly packed

1/2 teaspoon lime juice

2 tablespoons green enchilada sauce

2 tablespoons green onion, chopped (no need to chop it finely - it will get that way in the blender!)

1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

Pizza dough: 

1 tablespoon quick rise yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup very warm water (as hot as you can get it from your tap)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white flour

a little bit less than 2 cups whole wheat flour

a teaspoon or so of olive oil (or none if you prefer)

1. Combine yeast, sugar and water in large bowl. Stir until it starts to bubble.

2. Add salt and flour (and oil if you wish). Knead just until combined.

3. Cover and let rise - minimum 1 hour, but it's better if you let it rise for 2 hours.

4. Roll out dough. Top with desired toppings. Cook in oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Putting the pizza together:

After rolling out pizza crust on a large cookie sheet, spread all of prepared sauce onto the crust. Spread cooked chicken and 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained) onto the crust. Top with cheese and salsa fresca.

The Verdict: I've never been to CPK, but I do like different kinds of pizza and was really excited to try this. It didn't turn out as well as I was hoping. My kids wouldn't try it. (Surprise, surprise.) My husband said it tasted like an enchilada sandwich. I liked it, but I think it would be better with some sauteed onions and chopped fresh mango. Or possibly fore-go the salsa fresca and just use some of the mango salsa from Costco. I will however, definitely be using her pizza crust recipe again. It turned out much better than my usual.

Spicy Pasta with Broccoli
12-15 ounces dry short pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 head broccoli (roughly 1.5 pounds), florets sliced into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup water + a little more
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) fresh grated Parmesan, divided (optional)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, seasoned and cooked according to your liking
In a large pot of boiling salted water, add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain and place back into the pot off heat.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium. stir in garlic and crushed red pepper - cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broccoli and 1/3+ cup water - season with salt and pepper. Cover skillet and cook until broccoli just begins to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until the excess water has evaporated and the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 1 to 2 additional minutes.
Scoop broccoli mixture into the pot with the pasta and add 1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) parmesan and enough of the reserved pasta water to create a thin sauce. Serve with the remaining parmesan scattered on top. Serve with chicken on top.

The Verdict: This was very good and very easy. My daughter happily ate an entire plate. I will definitely do this again. It was super quick and used stuff I already had. (I used the leftover engagement chicken in it.) I only used 1/4 tsp of red pepper because I was afraid my kids wouldn't eat otherwise. Next time I think I will use a whole teaspoon of red pepper.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Mustard Custard Sauce.

I thought I would try making something traditional for St Patrick's Day, but then I have to work on St. Patty's and the last thing I feel like doing after working 12(+) hours is making a large meal. Nor is my family to keen on waiting for said large meal that late in the evening. Instead I made this yesterday and it turned out really well, plus it was very easy. (My husband loved this meal and my daughter ate it as long as the yellow stuff didn't touch her food.) I found the recipe on Cooks.com and adapted as I saw fit. (Sorry no pictures, because my camera batteries are dead and as I was preparing to take one I discovered I don't have any more batteries of the appropriate size either. :S)

Corned Beef and Cabbage
4 large carrots, washed and cut into four pieces each
3 lb corned beef briscuit with seasoning packet
1 large onion, quartered
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/3 cup water
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into wedges
Layer first four ingredients plus seasoning in crock pot in order given, carrots on bottom. Pour water over top. Cook on low for three hours. Add cabbage. Cook for three more hours.

I found this next recipe on That Went Well, and I have to say it is pretty tasty. The real reason I decided to make corned beef and cabbage is so I could try this sauce. My husband happily ate every vegetable that I put on his plate because he was dipping them in this sauce. That's extremely high praise in my house.

Mary Helen's Mustard Custard Sauce

2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp plain yellow mustard
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
6 tbsp white vinager
4 tbsp water
Low heat stir till thickened. It should have a pudding consistency.