non-bakers bread

OK, so I am not a great baker. I love all the yummy confections bakers make but I have never had a mixer and I often skip dessert. I do love home made bread and as soon as my budget will afford I would love to have a great standing mixer on my counter. My friend Lili, who gives me a lot of great recipes, just passed on one of my new faves. This bread is so easy!!! Even my mixer less kitchen can do it. I love it too because it takes less time from start to finish than my staple, Sunday Rhodes rolls. It is also very delicious. It is so good I promise you will think it is straight from the Macaroni Grill.

Mix together with a spoon
2 Cups warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
1 Tbs sugar

add
4 cup flour
2 tsp salt

Let rise in bowl with a rag over it for 40 min. to 1 hour until doubles in size. Pinch dough in half roll into two little balls (about the size of a soft ball). Grease cookie sheet and spread corn meal over grease. Set your two dough balls on the cookie sheet. Let rise another 45 min. covered. Melt about 1 Tbs. of butter and brush on tops of dough.

bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 min. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.

We like to slice it in wedges and eat it with salads or dinner. I think it would also be good with balsamic and EVOO for dipping.

Pasta Primavera

This is one of our favorite pasta dishes. The recipe is very versatile and you can add any fresh vegetables you like. Serve with a green salad and some crusty garlic bread and you've got yourself a great, tasty, vegetarian meal.

Pasta Primavera
12 oz. Rotini Pasta (I really like the Barilla Plus Multigrain Pasta)
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves- crushed with press
2 Cups Broccoli Florets, Asparagus or fresh Green Beans (We used asparagus this time)
1 ½ Cups Shredded Carrots
½ - 1 Pint cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½-1 Cup Heavy Cream
½ tsp Salt

Cook pasta. Meanwhile heat oil in 12" skillet or wok. Add garlic and broccoli and cook 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook 4 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp. Stir in tomatoes, cook 1 minute. Add parmesan, cream and salt. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Drain pasta (reserve ½ cup cooking water). Toss veggies with pasta and reserved water. Serve with Parmesan on top.

Whats a Frittata?

I would say a Frittata is like a quiche with out a crust. My mother and sisters prefer them because they are low carb freaks. I just think, either way, they are delicious. I just made this one for a baby shower and I thought it was beautiful and very good.

Artichoke Frittata:6 servings

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 10 oz package frozen spinach
5 large eggs
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (6 oz)
Slice mushrooms and saute with onions in oil. Thaw spinach and drain well. (Allow 3-4 hours for spinach to thaw and drain). Beat eggs lightly and combine with mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese. Bake covered in buttered 1 1/2 qt. casserole at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

P.S. I am not a huge mushroom fan so I leave these out.

Quick Summertime Dinner: Pesto Pasta Salad

What is the perfect summer recipe? Well, there are several criteria: 1) No oven involved, 2) should take no longer than the amount of time to cook pasta, and 3) should be eaten and enjoyed by all family members. A tall order indeed, but this week, I found a new favorite summer dish: Pesto Pasta Salad.



1/2 lb. penne pasta, cooked as directed and drained
1 15.5 can chickpeas, roughly chopped
1/2 of a jar of roasted red peppers, drained and thinly sliced
12 black olives (I like kalamata), pitted and roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, thickly sliced
1/2 cup steamed green beans
1 6-oz can tuna, drained
4 tablespoons homemade or store-bought pesto
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, red peppers, olives, celery, tuna, pesto, salt, and black pepper. Divide among individual plates. Voila!

And as you read through this recipe, you may be thinking, "Ew! Tuna?!" But, give it a try. You may just fall in love with tuna in a whole new way. My first heavenly encounter with tuna in a salad was eating a Salad Nicoise at a cafe in Orange, France, and I have never looked back. Dude, it's so good.

And here's a picture of Orange. I posted it just to remember myself, there, eating a Salad Nicoise. Sigh.

the pulled pork

always, always asked for this recipe. started with cafe rio, then kalee unlocked the secret and i made some up along the way to present this masterpiece to you.

cook for 12 hours on low.....some pork

i have used many kinds. i love a costco tenderloin roast. they are dark and small and really tender. but this recipe will make any cut of a large part of pork submit to goodness.

so get that crock pot out. put your little meat in ( i usually fit 3 small ones) and pour coke over it. thats right, as in classic. cola. mr coke. you could also add a jar of salsa. it does help with a depth of flavor that does make a difference.

i usually do this before bed. it will give you strange nightmares when you sleep smelling bold flavors like this. running from pigs all night and all.;)

anyway. 12 hours. then, get that pork outta there. discard the liquid. i put the cooked pork in a ziplock and put it in the fridge until i am ready to serve it. then, i move onto making the succulent sweetness that boggles your mind.

offenders below

i have come up with a simple and bold sauce that makes this sing even tho there was a recipe with exact measurements at one time.

equal parts of:
ketchup
BBQ sauce ( i use kraft honey or hickory or whatever)
and brown sugar.

mince a couple of cloves of garlic too. it will make you happy.

mix it all together and warm it in the crock pot. put it on one of those cute little costco dinner rolls that come in the big bags in quantities of 36 and you will say, thank you heidi.


or, eat it over a salad with beans and rice and cheese.

maybe, a burrito. just eat it......

Sesame Red Curry Chicken with Coconut Rice

Using a slow cooker is one of my favorite things to cook with. I love how easy and convenient it is-especially with having 2 little ones around needing your constant attention! The smell that comes from your slow cooker is so yummy with this recipe! I love the flavors of the sesame oil, ginger and rice vinegar. This dish is so easy and very tasty.

4 C. chopped bok choy
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (4 halves)
Salt and pepper
1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 C. rice vinegar or sake if you have some on hand
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 T. red curry paste
1/4 C. flaked coconut
2 C. quick cooking jasmine rice
2 (14 oz.) cans light coconut milk
1/4 C. freshly chopped cilantro for garnish

-Arrange bok choy and red pepper in bottom of slow cooker. Season 4 chicken breast halves all over with salt and pepper and place on top of bok choy.
-In a small bowl, whisk together broth, rice vinegar (or sake), sesame oil, ginger and curry paste. Pour mixture over chicken.
-Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

In a small skillet, toast flaked coconut on low heat until lightly toasted (5-8 minutes). In a medium saucepan, add rice and coconut milk and set pan over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in toasted coconut.

Spoon rice onto a serving platter. Top with chicken, bok choy, bell peppers an sauce from slow cooker. Garnish with cilantro.

softest breadsticks ever

you haven't had a bread stick until you have eaten these.

1 T yeast
1 1/2 c water
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
3 C flour
1 cube butter
dissolve yeast in water. mix dry ingredients and then add water mixture. mix and knead for 3 minutes (you can do this in a mixer, bosch or kitchen aid)
cover and rise for 10 minutes
roll our to 1/2 inch thickness. melt 1 cube of butter and pour over cookie sheet. cut dough with pizza cutter and dip each bread stick in butter~both sides {that's right}

flavoring these bad boys - i like.....
parmesan over the top regardless but, sometimes, i add to the butter some crushed rosemary and a TB or 2 of honey to the butter. mmmmmmm. and i like to cut the bread sticks and twist them fancy if my artistic expression is screaming to get out. sure makes it purdy.
or else, i like to add some oregano, basil and fresh minced garlic to the butter.
use your favorite combos
after you get them gussied up, let rise one more time for 15 minutes and the cook for 20 minutes at 350.
i like to sprinkle the parmesan on right before they go in, they tend to absorb the butter if you mix them in with the butter.

Chicken Tacos with Sour Cream Salsa

Hi friends. I am an airhead. I am embarrassed to admit that I have no clue what day I have for the month of February! However, I figure it didn't really matter since I have a really tasty recipe that will make up for my absent mind. Again, please forgive my absence from posting for so long-I am not good like the rest of you! Here you go:

1 lb. chicken tenders
1 T. fajita seasoning
3/4 tsp. salt
2 T. Olive Oil
1 green or yellow bell pepper sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
8 6" flour tortillas warmed
1 head lettuce, washed and separated

Cut chicken tenders into thin strips; toss with seasoning and 1/2 tsp. of salt. In large skillet, cook chicken until done. Remove chicken from skillet and add peppers; cook for 3 minutes then return chicken to pan.

Sour Cream Salsa
1/2 C. sour cream
1 tsp. lime zest
1 T. lime juice
3 T. cilantro, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

In a small bowl stir together sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, tomatoes and remaining salt.

To serve, line tortillas with lettuce, then top with chicken and pepper mixture; serve with sour cream salsa.

Quick & Easy: Chicken Fettucine w/ Tomato Alfredo

This tasty meal has become a family favorite in our house! It's got great flavor, makes enough for more than one meal (I love that!) and is simple to make.

CHICKEN FETTUCCINE W/ TOMATO ALFREDO
1 lb. chicken, cubed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 cup cream or half & half
1 pkg. McCormick pasta alfredo sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb. fettuccine, cooked & hot

In a large skillet, cook chicken with onions, garlic in a little oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, except fettuccine. Cook until heated through, then toss with hot fettuccine.

Serve with hubbies fabulous bread and tada...dinner is served.

Quick and Easy Wednesday: Mediterranean Omelet

Sometimes I have those kind of nights when I have 5 minutes and an empty fridge...but, aha, there's always a few eggs in there. Voila, dinner!

Here's what you'll need:
Olive oil
2 eggs/omelet
course salt and pepper
chopped veggies: I like red onion, red pepper, quartered grape tomatoes
Chopped kalamata olives
Chopped marinated artichoke hearts
Cheese (I like crumbled feta)
Minced parsley

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat; it should be hot, but not smoking. Saute vegetables until softened. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, olives, and artichoke hearts. Put vegetable mixture in a bowl and mix with cheese. Beat eggs and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour eggs into saute pan and roll in a circular motion, so that the eggs cover the entire surface of the pan. Once the bottom of the pan is covered, put the pan down and walk away...for 15-30 seconds. Once the egg is almost cooked through, put the vegetable mixture on half of the omelet. With a spatula, fold half of the omelet over the mixture and slide the omelet onto a plate.
With a simple salad, this is a great dinner!

Quick and Easy Wednesday (err,Friday): fast food is not McDonalds

I was fortunate to spend some time in France last September and this visit changed the way I thought about many things. One of the greatest lessons learned was that French food isn't really all I thought, you know, perspiring over the stove making sauces from twenty fresh herbs, finely diced mushroom stems, and duck livers. That all has its place, but from my experience, much of what makes French cooking great is the beautiful, fresh ingredients. Many of my favorite dishes there could be cooked up in a flash, if cooked at all. In the end, the essential cooking method used was in the selection of the ingredients. Delicious olive oil heated in the saute pan + thinly sliced fresh, gorgeous cremini mushrooms + sea salt + three minutes=delicious. I think the big difference with the food in France is the philosophy of those who prepare it. Those preparing the food are most likely the ones who will be eating it and value food for its pleasurable sensations. They respect the food and want to bring out the best in each ingredient. And many times, food, if it is high quality to begin with, is pretty simple to prepare. What I didn't see in France was any sort of stress about making something perfectly. There were no kitchen martyr hostesses slaving in the back during a party. Just people being creative with flavors and textures and smells. I love this philosophy and since returning back from my trip, I've tried to make my meals a more beautiful and simple experience.



[here are some foodie pics from France...mmmmm...]

So, in honor of my new aspirations, today I really tried to implement my lessons learned from Frenchie food at lunch and I must say that it was most pleasurable. Great company (fellow blogger, Kristy, Kari, and our kids), great entertainment (watching my son, Peter, try to shove all sorts of fruit in his mouth), and tasty, fresh, fast food, if I say so myself:

Tortellini Soup with Escarole--cooks up in about 10 minutes, max!
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 small head escarole, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (*note* I had the darndest time finding escarole in Utah, and substitute spinach. It seemed to work out just fine.)
1 pound cheese tortellini
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

In a large stockpot, combine chicken stock, 2 cups water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Add escarole, and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 15 seconds.
Add tortellini, and cook until they float to the top, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf, and season soup with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Just add some nice bread, nice cheese, and fresh fruit, and you have yourself a great lunch! bon appetit!

Quick and Easy Wednesday: another mom lunch idea

Here's another easy lunch that is super fast and healthy:

Chicken Salad and Havarti Cheese Wrap:
(recipe is enough for 2 wraps. Hooray! Lunch for today AND tomorrow!!)

Coarse Salt and ground pepper
1 b/s chicken breast
2 tablespoons light mayo
1/2 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 spinach-flavored wraps
6 thin slices Havart cheese
1 cup baby spinach, washed and dried

1. In a small skillet with a lid, bring 1 inch salted water to a boil. Add chicken. Cover, and cook over medium-low heat., 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let steam, still covered, until cooked through, 10-12 minutes; Remove chicken. When cool enough to handle, thinly slice crosswise.
2. While chicken is cooking, stir together mayo, shallot, mustard, vinegar, and thyme in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. (You can make the wrap up to this point the night before; you can make the whole thing the night before, but it might be soggy)
3. Lay wrap on a work surface. Leaving a 1-inch border all around, layer with cheese, spinach, then chicken mixture.
4. Fold in sides by about 1 inch, then roll up tightly from the bottom.

voila! And next time, I'm planning on adding in some chopped apple and walnuts. I love a big crunch!

Quick and Easy Wednesday: making lunch a real meal for mom

Hello! I'm back from vacation and ready to go!

I have this problem about lunch. It has to be the craziest time of day, even crazier than dinnertime, because my husband isn't there as my toddler, Peter's, fantastic source of entertainment. And, sometimes lunch doesn't have as important of a feeling as dinner, so I often catch a few bites of a sandwich (standing up and walking around) while I am trying to feed Peter and call it good. But, my friends, 2008 is the year of tasty, healthy mommy lunches (while sitting at the table! Imagine that!!)! To really follow through with this, I've got to have something lightning fast (under 15 minutes) and easy to prepare the night before. Here's what I came up with today:



Chicken Noodle Soup (from October 2004 issue of Everyday Food)

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1 can reduced-sodium chicken broth and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Add 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 cup fine egg noodles (or whatever pasta is around), and 2 ounces green beans, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (1/2 cup). Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.

2. Add 1 coarsely grated carrot and 4 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup); simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 thinly sliced scallion. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

3. To store overnight, let soup cool completely; refrigerate in an airtight container and reheat next day in microwave.

It's cozy and filling and tastes way better than a pb&j.

Quick and Easy Tips

For my last week posting quick and easy recipes I thought I'd share my favorite tips for those nights when you just need to get some dinner on the table. The idea here is that a little prep goes a long way.

The first tip I learned from my mother in-law. The tip is to buy your meat in bulk at Costco or Sam's Club. You get good quality meat for a good price. For instance, you buy the huge packets of ground beef (or ground turkey if you prefer). When you get it home, instead of breaking it into small chunks and freezing it to thaw and cook later, just cook it all up in a big pot.
I usually add a chopped onion (or dry onion flakes if I'm feeling lazy) and brown the meat. Once the meat is cooked, you separate it into ziplock bags and put them in your freezer.
This saves you quite a bit of time when all you have to do is toss the bag of cooked meat in the microwave to warm up. I don't know about you, but it seems like it takes forever for a chunk of meat to thaw so I can brown it! I will also freeze rotisserie chicken in small bags. This puts you a step ahead for many meal options...tacos, spaghetti, enchiladas, etc.

The second tip is my favorite quick treat tip. When I make cookies, I always double the recipe. I cook the amount I want and then I take the rest of the dough and make it into balls and place them close together on a cookie sheet. I then place the cookie sheet in the freezer for several hours or until the cookie balls are frozen. At this point I remove the cookie balls from the sheet and put them all into a ziplock bag. Freezing them on the cookie sheet first makes sure they are individually frozen so they don't stick together in the bag. I almost always have a bag of cookie balls in my freezer to pull out and bake whenever we need or want a quick treat. Just set the amount of cookies you want to cook out on the cookie sheet while the oven pre-heats. This gives them a chance to thaw a little.
Then cook the cookies per the instructions in your recipe. You have hot, fresh cookies and all you had to do was turn on the oven! Oh yeah, and did I mention that frozen cookie dough balls make a good treat, too???

What are your favorite tips for speeding up the dinner making process?

BBQ Ribs (in the crock pot)

Another easy Sunday recipe that is delicious. Something about that slow cooked meat that just falls off the bone, you really can't resist it. This is one of Cameron's favorites, and he is a rib lover.

What you need.

Costco vacuum sealed Baby back pork ribs (I fold in half and freeze the two extra racks separately) I have really found Costco's to be the best meat.

Salt

Pepper

Bullseye Original BBQ sauce (or BBQ sauce of your choice, we tried Kraft and it was not good on these)

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Place in crock pot on high for 5-6 hours. About 1 1/2 hours before eating pour BBQ sauce over ribs. Turn the lid so steam comes out, this will make the sauce stick on ribs.

The meat should be so tender it will fall off the bone. I eat it with a fork, so it is not as messy. Enjoy!

One Pot Wonders- Pork Chops with Veggies

The following recipe has got to be my easiest, quickest, mid-week meal. The great thing is that it tastes like it takes more time than it does. In fact, this recipe is so easy you don't even really need a recipe. Here is what you do:

1. Take one pork chop per family member
2. Dice 1 carrot per family member (or a handful of baby carrots...even easier!)
3. Chop 1 potato per family member (if I use red potatoes, I don't even peel them)

Sprinkle the pork chops with Salt and Pepper and brown on both sides in a skillet.
After the pork chops are browned, pile the potatoes and carrots on top of each pork chop and add a little more salt and pepper to taste (go light on the salt since you will be adding beef broth). Then take a can of beef broth and pour over everything. Do it fast, cause it's going to steam!
Put the lid on the skillet, set a timer for 30 minutes and before you know it, dinner is served! Add a piece of bread with butter or a roll if you like. The other great thing about this meal is that it leaves very little to clean up. Even better when you are in a time crunch.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

I love this recipe, because it is soooooooooo easy.

1 jar of thick and chunky red salsa (mild-hot, any brand your choice)

10 oz can of enchilada sauce (mild-hot, any brand your choice)

2-3 breasts of chicken (if you add more chicken add another jar of salsa, don't add more enchilada sauce). You can start with frozen chicken.

Throw all the above ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high 4-6 hours until chicken falls apart easily. About 30 minutes before you eat fry up some corn tortillas in medium high heat. We like the white corn ones. Just put some veggie oil in a pan fry one side, fold in half with crispy side in, then fry two outer sides. Let them cool on paper towel. These tortillas are much better than buying the ready made hard ones and they don't take long to do.

White corn tortillas

Veggie oil (or your preferred oil)

Shred chicken with fork and leave in sauce. Fill tacos with Chicken, and any of the following.

Torn or shredded lettuce (I find if I tear lettuce it does not go brown as quickly, or you can shred with a plastic or wooden knife. Metal will turn the lettuce brown).

1-2 chopped tomatoes

Sour cream

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

These are healthy and delicious, and you will have leftovers that can be frozen. Some times I make this a little fancier for guests and add more options for sides or fillers.

(optional sides or fillers)

Black beans- ( 1 can of black beans, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 TBS. salsa, lime juice, about 1/4 tsp cumin) Warm in sauce pan.

Saffron Rice-follow directions on package. We buy Mahatma.

Quick and Easy- Chicken Rolls

This is such an easy and yummy recipe to make and is perfect for a middle of the week meal. I love the flavor that the pecans add.

CHICKEN ROLLS:
Combine and set aside 1/2 Cup herb seasoned bread crumbs and 1/4 cup crushed pecans.

3 oz. Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 Cup Cooked and Shredded Chicken or Turkey
Diced Celery
Salt and Pepper

Mix the cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth. Add the diced chicken, celery, salt and pepper and mix. Then separate 1 package of Crescent rolls. Place a large spoonful of mixture in the center of each piece and roll up, seal edges.
Dip in melted butter and then in crumb mixture. Rolls can be frozen at this point and used for later (an even quicker meal for another night!) or place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Serve with thinned cream of chicken soup as a gravy.