Moo Shu Pork

Sorry about the poor quality photos...my good camera died halfway through this recipe.

So half the reason I wanted to make this recipe was because the name is so fun!  Moo Shu pork, so fun to say!  I've heard the name before, but have never tried it.  I'm glad I did, because its not only fun to say, but also quite delicious!  Sorry it doesn't really look very appetizing in this pic...use your imagination.  :)  I promise though this one was tasty and really easy.  It is kind of weird to put it on a tortilla, but really you must try it the authentic way, because there is a reason they do it!   Logan had the leftovers over rice, which he said was good also, so you do have options if the tortilla is too weird with an Asian dish for you.  This might also be really good as a lettuce wrap, but really try the tortillas first, its crazy but AWESOME.

ENJOY!

Moo Shu Pork

4 tsp veg oil

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 pork tenderloin (1lb) halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

2 T cornstarch

S&P

1 lb shitake mushrooms (or whatever shroom you want) thinly sliced

2 T minced peeled fresh ginger

1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded

5 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

8 flour tortillas

In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over med.  Add eggs; cook without stirring until just set, 1-2 min.  Transfer to a cutting board.  When cool enough to handle, roll into a log and slice crosswise into 1/4 in strips.

Place pork in a med bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch.  Season with S&P and toss to coat.  Wipe skillet clean and heat remaining oil over med high.  Add pork and cook until browned 4-5 min; it will finish cooking later, transfer to plate

Add mushrooms and ginger to skillet; season with S&P.  Cook until shrroms are lightly browned 3-5 min.  Add cabbage, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, egg strips and pork; cook tossing occasionally until cabbage is wilted and pork is cooked through, 2-3 min.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ***

Fish Sticks

There's a funny joke about fish sticks from a south park episode that was said over and over this night.  If you know it, laugh now.  I'm just going to leave it at that as to not offend any of my readers. 

ANYWAY, these were AWESOME!  This meal brought me back to grade school, except these were MUCH better than the frozen crap they used to serve in the lunch line.  I absolutely love panko bread crumbs, they are good on just about anything.  These are baked instead of fried so they really aren't too bad for you, but they still taste delicious and are delightfully crunchy!  The tarter sauce was just OK...I could have done without all the parsley, next time I think I'd only add maybe a tablespoon or two.  But other than that this recipe was pretty flawless, because really...how can you go wrong with fish sticks???  I served it with a twice baked, baked potato because I was feeling dangerous...and we had gone for a run that day so I figured why not!?  Probably backwards thinking, since it most likely negated all the hard work I had done, but OH WELL!  Anyway, I also just wanted to share a quick thought that I had while I was making these.  If you have kids, or you really like fish sticks, you could make a BUNCH of these and then freeze them.  You're very own frozen fish sticks!  Do it...I dare you!

ENJOY!!!

Panko-Crusted Fish Sticks with Herb Dipping Sauce

1 large egg, lightly beaten

S&P

2 cups panko

1 T old bay or other seafood seasoning

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 lb tilapia fillets, cut into strips

1/2 cup mayo (I use fat free, no one ever knows the difference!)

1/4 cup packed fresh parsley, chopped

1 T dijon

1 T fresh lemon juice

2 tsp horseradish sauce

Preheat oven to 475.  Place egg in shallow bowl; season with S&P.  In another bowl, stir together panko, old bay, and oil.  Dip tilapia into egg, letting excess drip, then coat completely with panko mixture, gently pressing if necessary.  Place on baking sheet, leaving room in between.

Bake until lightly browned 12-15 min.  (The recipe says not to turn the fish sticks, but I say thats bull..turn them or else you will have one side golden brown and the other side not as yummy)

Meanwhile make sauce; in a small bowl, stir together mayo, parsley, mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish; season with S&P.

Serve fish sticks with sauce and lemon wedges on the side if desired.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ****

Down home cookin

This meal totally reminds me of my childhood, my mom used to make chicken and dumplings all the time.  This was my first time ever making this fantastic dish and I'm sorry to say it is definitely better than the recipe I grew up on, but MOM don't worry yours is still good!  I added more of that free cabbage to this recipe in an effort not to waste free food, oh how happy that head of cabbage made me.  

So I have to tell you guys this one is a must make this winter.  It is total comfort food and I'm not embarrassed to say I ate this for 3 meals in a row...dinner, lunch and then dinner again...if there would have been more leftover I may have just eaten this for every meal last week, it was that good!  The dumplings were amazing and the flavor of the soup was perfect, way to go Martha, you done did good!

ENJOY!

Chicken and Dumplings

3 T butter

1 onion cut into 1 in pieces

5 carrots, sliced

1 T fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried

1 cup all purpose flour

1 can chicken broth

S&P

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 in pieces

2 T coarsely chopped dill or 3/4 tsp dried

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 package frozen peas (unthawed)

In a pot melt butter, add onion carrots and thyme.  Cover and cook until onions softens, about 5 min.  Add 1/4 cup flour; cook stirring 30 sec.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil; season with S&P.  Nestle chicken in pot; reduce heat to med-low, cover and cook for about 20 min.

Meanwhile make dumplings; whisk remaining 3/4 cup flour with dill, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.  With a fork, gradually stir in 1/2  cup milk to form a moist and soft batter.  (it should be just a little thicker than a pancake batter).

Stir in peas, return to a simmer and drop batter in heaping tablespoonfuls, leaving space between each dumpling.  Cover and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, about 20 min more.

Serves 4 

Logan Rating: ***

Not good date food...

I guess we really like garlic, but again I will warn you this is not date food, unless your date is a vampire and you are trying to ward him off...then this would be a great meal for your date!  I'm still in the Halloween mood! :)  Anyway this is another meal that spends the majority of its cooking time in the oven, not needing any babysitting.  So if you will be around the house and have about an hour to wait for your dinner, but don't feel like putting much effort into it, this is your meal!  Served with some fresh bread and a veggie, a very staple meal.

ENJOY!

Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts

4 heads garlic

8 sprigs fresh oregano

2 whole roaster chicken breasts (i just used bone in chicken breasts)

2 T olive oil

S&P

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice tops from garlic heads, reserving the bottoms; arrange tops, cut sides down, in center of an 11x17in roasting pan.  Place 1 sprig of oregano over each garlic top and arrange the chicken breasts over the garlic. 

Place reserved garlic bottoms, cut sides up, next to the chicken in the pan.  Drizzle chicken and garlic bottoms with the olive oil.   Season the chicken with salt and pepper; place remaining 4 sprigs of oregano on top.

Roast for 30 min; turn garlic bottoms cut sides down, and rotate pan.  Continue roasting chicken until meat is 165 degrees, about 30 min more.  

Pour pan juices over the chicken to serve. 

Logan Rating: ****

PURPLE AND GOLD PASTA!

 Last Sunday we had a few people over for the coveted Vikings/Packer game.  While the result was NOT what we expected or wanted, I did make purple and gold spaghetti and meatballs!  I made the pasta like I usually do, but just added food coloring to the dough, it turned out great and it was still just as delicious as ever.  This spaghetti and meatball recipe is good, but it really is nothing special.  I ended up adding some red pepper flakes to add some flavor.  Try it out though, the meatballs, I thought were really good.

ENJOY and don't forget to cheer on the VIKES!

Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

3 T olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups canned crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

S&P

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 med onion, finely chopped

2/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 lb ground turkey (at least 93% lean)

1 lb spaghetti

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over med high heat.  Add garlic and cook for about 1 min.  Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, and thyme, and season  with S&P.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered for 20-25 min.  

Meanwhile make meatballs; in a large bowl, whisk together egg, milk, 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper with a fork.  Stir in the onion, breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley.  Add turkey and mix until combined.  Form the mixture into 1 1/2 in balls.

Add meatballs to skillet and spoon sauce over to coat.  Simmer over med until meatballs are just cooked through, about 8 min.

While meatballs simmer, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water.  Drain pasta and transfer to skillet.  Serve with more cheese.

Serves 6. 

Logan Rating: ***

Wild Rice Soup!

I made this soup for a supper club pumpkin carving party hosted by our friends Dave and Kate.  Dave made some kickass chili for the evening, and surprisingly this soup went really well also, so it must have been pretty good!  I thought it was really delicious myself and people at the party had good things to say about it so that means you should try it too!  It is a great fall soup, a classic, really hearty and delicious.  We got a free head of cabbage at the farmers market, so many of the recipes this week, randomly have cabbage added to them, you don't have to add it, but it was a pretty delicious addition.  I was so excited when we got that little head of cabbage...I mean how often do you just randomly get free stuff these days?  NEVER!  It held my head high while carrying that cabbage home! ;)  

ENJOY!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 T olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

S&P

2 cans chicken broth

2/3 cup wild rice blend

2 1/2 cups water

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped.

In a large pot, heat oil over med heat.  Add onion and season with S&P.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 3-5 min.  Add chicken broth, rice, and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 35 min.

Add chicken, carrots, and celery.  Return to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook uncovered until veggies are tender and chicken is opaque throughout, about 15 min.  Transfer chicken to a cutting board, shred with two forks.

Return chicken to pot; season soup with salt and pepper.  

Serves 4 as a main course 

Logan Rating: **

(hes lame...this was at least 3 stars)

Roasted Chicken and Veggies

Doesn't this look delicious?? My mouth is watering just looking at the picture!  It was delicious and extremely easy, so even you people out there that don't think you can cook...you can do this!  I shared this meal with a good friend and sent Logan to class with a "to-go box".  We all 3 enjoyed it, it was a perfect fall meal.  The recipe calls for 6 cloves of garlic, which was delicious, but I would advise not to make this for a date unless you have an emergency toothbrush nearby.  I served this with couscous but you could serve it with rice, or just eat it as is if you want.  It will take about 45 minutes total to prepare, but it spends most of that time in the oven, so you can sit on the couch and enjoy your favorite show or do whatever you need to do.  The recipe calls for prunes, but since I only had a few I also added dried figs and it was SO good...you certainly don't have to do both but if you have them throw them both in.  And don't skip the dried fruit, I know it sounds weird, but it totally makes the dish!!!  

ENJOY!

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Carrots and Onion

4 bone in breast halves ( I used boneless, because it's what we had on hand)

1 lb carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut diagonally

6 garlic cloves

1 med red onion, halved, cut into 1/2 in wedges

S&P

3/4 cup pitted prunes, quartered lengthwise

cous cous for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 450.  Place chicken on rimmed baking sheet.  Arrange carrots, garlic and onion around chicken; season with S&P.  Roast for 10 min.  Toss prunes with the veggies.  Continue roasting until chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 min more.  

CousCous

2 cups couscous

S&P

2 T olive oil

2 1/2 cups boiling water

Put couscous, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in a large bowl.  Add olive oil and stir with fork to coat evenly.

Stir on third of boiling water into couscous.  Cover remaining water to keep hot.

Press couscous gently with back of fork.  Cover with plastic wrap; let stand for 3 min.  Repeat with the remaining water in 2 additions.

Break up any clumps with fork or your fingers. 

Logan Rating: ***

Another lost recipe

This is one that I made a long time ago, that I guess I forgot about because I don't have pictures of it, so I apologize for that.  It was good, nothing amazing, but very good heat which is always a plus in our house.  I substituted fat free half & half for the heavy cream, I just can't do heavy cream, makes me cringe how much fat it has in it.  Other than that I followed the recipe and got a pretty tasty chicken meal.  The nice thing about this one is that it only has 6 ingredients and most of them are common things that you always have your house, the poblanos are probably the only thing you'd have to buy.  Serve this with rice mixed with chopped fresh cilantro and scallions and you have a quick and easy meal.   Hope you enjoy this one...I think I might make it again when I don't have much time to make a meal (since its so quick), we seem to always have chicken laying around.

ENJOY!

Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce

1 poblano chile

2 T canola oil (or olive)

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup heavy cream 

S&P

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6oz each)

Roast chile over a as burner or under a broiler, until charred all over.  Wrap in a paper towel, let steam in there for 5 min.  Rub off the skin; remove the seeds and ribs.  Chop coarsely. 

Heat 1 T of oil in small saucepan over med heat; add onion and garlic; cook until soft, 5-7 min.  Add chile and cream.

Puree in a blender; add water if too thick. Season with S&P.

Season chicken with S&P, heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over med-high heat.  Cook until golden, 4-5 min per side.  Serve with sauce.  

Logan Rating: ****

HALLOWEEN!

Here are some pics from our Halloween party last night! It was so much fun to make all these gory treats.  Hope you all have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  
ALSO there is an update coming, sorry it's been so long, life has been absolutely hectic for the last week!

Mozzarella stick fingers with green pepper nails

Apple mouths with almond teeth

Peanut butter balls covered in white chocolate

Fudge shop keebler cookies with a Hershey kiss on top

Salsa dip

Puff pasty filled with guacamole (food coloring on top)

Asparagus wrapped in prociutto

Paul Bunyan and Babe his blue ox!