My Personal Meal Plan

I sat down this morning and took a look at the meal plan for the rest of the month. Just in case you ever wondered what my personal one looks like by the end of the month, I thought I would share it.

As you can see nothing is written in stone or permanent ink for that matter. It's constantly being reevaluated as the month and our needs change. 

That's the whole point to the Month Meal Plan system, it's a starting point from which you can explore. Usually when I get to this stage I redo the whole thing and make it look neat and tidy. It also helps me when I go to do next months plan.

And before you say anything, yes it's not exactly the same as the one that I post on here. Some of the recipes are not refined enough yet and I do make changes to my personal one to suit our family.

If you are wondering the top food name for each day is lunch. I'm trying to some sort of schedule for that so that I don't have 2 screaming kids starving and me trying to figure out what I can make them quickly before my last thread of sanity is severed!!! Again work in progress!!!!

I just thought I would share this with you to show you that it doesn't have to perfect and it is OK to be flexible!!!

Happy Home Cooking!

Rice & Gravy

Ok rice and gravy is probably the most unimaginative name for this one but over the past 10 years when my hubby asked what's for dinner that's what I told him and he knew what I meant.

I use round steaks and cook them in a gravy. And yes, you guessed it, I serve it with rice! Although the Northern Irish comes out in me and I have to have potatoes of any form with it! Recently I've been on a roast potatoes kick, although honestly they have always been one of my favorite ways to eat potatoes. There is nothing more glorious than a perfectly crisp roast potato, with it yummy fluffy inside, smothered in gravy! YUMMY!!! At this time I'll take a moment to wipe the drool from my face and compose myself!

OK back to meal in hand, Rice and gravy as I call it. This is a little more involve meal and requires starting early (although if you went to play in Pinterest land and lost track of time like I do frequently, a hotter stove and constant attention can reduce the time.)

This is also an amazing dish for the crock pot. Left alone all day to cook makes this dish perfect and I need to use my crockpot more!

I use butter for my roux with this one, oil will work too but I prefer the taste of butter and the creamy feel it adds. I'm sure somehow I'm a close relative of Paula Deen! However the butter issue will be a for another day and post, trust me I have strong opinions there!!

As the title suggests you can serve the steaks and gravy over rice but really any side dish works great with this, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, wild rice...and the list goes on. We have rice and potatoes the perfect Cajun/Irish mix! I always do some sort of vegetable too, again whatever works for your family.

Oh and one other note, I'm crazy about garlic, so I add a nice amount of it. You can omit it or reduce it to your taste.

Rice & Gravy

4 eye of round steaks, trimmed of fat

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup flour

4 cups beef stock

1 teaspoon kitchen bouquet

Tony's seasoning to taste

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper (or Tony's if you are me!).

2. Add onion and garlic to skillet. Place the steaks on top and cook until the steaks turn brown. A little debris at the bottom of the skillet is OK, if it gets too bad add a little water.

3. When steaks are brown remove to a plate and set aside.

4. Add enough water to the skillet to deglaze it and pour liquid into a bowl. You could use wine although I've never tried.

5. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in skillet and add flour. Stir constantly for 5 minutes.

6. Using a whisk, stir in the beef stock (it's always a good idea to have the beef stock warm). When nice and smooth add kitchen bouquet and seasoning.

At this stage you can add it to the crockpot and let it do its thing all day.

7. For the stove top method, Cook on low for about 2 hours stirring regularly to prevent burning. Trust me on this one!!!!

Happy Home Cooking!

Made From Scratch Beef Fajitas

I am so proud of myself. One of my aims has been to completely replace processed food in our diet and find a way to make our favorites from scratch. Well for the longest time Beef Fajitas were my quick and easy open a packet go to meal, the seasoning was prepackaged, the tortillas were prepackaged. Recently for dinner I made Beef Fajitas from scratch, the seasoning was my own and the tortillas were completely homemade.

I cannot begin to tell you how delicious and superior this seasoning is to the McCormick pack. Now I'm not criticizing McCormick, they have been a faithful friend in my kitchen. However I have become more conscious of the label on food. McCromick's Fajitas Mix ingredients are: Spices (including Cumin, chili pepper, and oregano), corn maltodextrin, onion, onion salt, corn syrup solids, garlic, citric acid, caramel color, lime juice solids, modified corn starch and natural flavors. Now in the grand scheme of things that doesn't sound too bad and maltodextrin isn't the worse additive as it's actually from food not chemicals. However I know that glucose based items aren't usually that good for blood sugar. I do wonder why 'caramel color' is required!

I've posted the recipe for the tortillas before and once you have made them from scratch and see how easy they are and how awesome they taste you will have a hard time buy them at the store. 

So here is the recipe for Made From Scratch Beef Fajitas. Trust me these are the best fajitas, my father-in-law even loves them and he's a really picky eater!!!!

Beef Fajitas

 Seasoning

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp oregano

¼ tsp cumin

Tortillas

2 ¾ cups (about 12½  oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp kosher salt

5 T (2 ½ oz) vegetable shortening

¾ cup very warm water

Fajitas 

1 lb sirloin beef

2 T vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red onion, cut into strips

Directions:

1. Mix all the seasoning ingredients together.

2. Cut up the beef into strips and place in a bowl. Add the seasoning and mix to completely cover.

3. Let the meat marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. You can also freeze the meat marinated.
4. To make the tortillas: in a bowl, using a whisk, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening (and/or lard) and rub into the flour mixture until well incorporated.
5. Gradually mix in the water until the dough comes together. It should be a medium-stiff consistency, not a soft as bread dough but not firm either. Add additional water if needed a Tablespoon at a time.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.

7. Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball. Set the balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

8. Flatten the ball of dough, flour it, and then roll forward and backward across it once. rotate a sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again; continue rolling and turning until you reach the desired circle size. Roll all of them before going to the next step. I've found that adding a little extra flour between them helps to stop them sticking together.
9. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet. Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently.
10. When the beef has browned add the bell peppers and red onion and continue to cook until they are done. Don't forget to stir it!

11. While the beef is cooking, cook the tortillas. Heat an ungreased griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium to medium high heat.
12. Lay the tortillas on the hot skillet, there may be a little sizzle noise and you will see bubbling across the surface.

13. After 45 seconds or so, when there are light brown marks on the bottom, flip it over and cook for another 30 - 45 seconds until the other side is slightly browned. Be careful not to leave it too long or it will become crispy. Remove from the skillet and place on a dry cloth. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas and stack them one on top of the other on the cloth.

14. Serve immediately and with all the additions you like, cheese, sour cream, salsa, whatever takes your fancy.

Happy Home Cooking!!!

Home made tacos

Sorry for my absence but life gets so hectic sometimes.

But I'm back!!! And my mission to remove the processed food from my family's diet continues.

Today Tacos. For years I've used the old El Paso kits and seasoning. Honestly there was nothing too wrong with that, tacos were a quick easy meal! Then I started making the fajitas from scratch and they were delicious. Then I made the prepackaged tacos and my husband didn't really care for them anymore, it seems that he has been ruined.

So I decided it was time to make my own taco seasoning. After all this is not a move that means I will be cooking for twenty more hours. I got my seasonings out, mixed them in the bowl and ta da no more pre-packaged seasoning. I reduced the amount of cayenne pepper because it had a little too much kick to it, although my husband liked that.

I adapted my recipe from Alton Brown's All American Beef Taco. I love the show Good Eats because he really strips recipes to their core and explains why and how the processes are the way they are. We recently changed cable companies and now get the Cooking Channel. Can I say how much I am enjoying it!

I have to admit that I used store bought taco shells, we all have to cheat a little right. But I do plan to figure out how to make them. Mr Brown did say how to make them into shells by buying corn tortillas but I decided to save myself that step this time.

Oh one quick note, you can go ahead and make up a jar of the seasoning and it will keep for a month in an airtight container. Although it takes such little time to mix it that you don't need to, but it could be a help, if time is short, to have some ready to use. As for cost well initially buying the spices might be more than a pack of seasoning but they will make many of a seasoning mix. I already had all the spices in my cupboard so it was simply a case of reaching in the cupboard.

Home made Tacos

Seasoning

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Using a hand whisk mix to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

Tacos

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 lbs lean ground meat (mince meat)

1 recipe of seasoning mix

1 cup low sodium beef stock

Taco shells, lettuce, tomato, cheese and other favourite toppings as desired

1. Place ground meat, garlic and onions in a skillet and cook until browned, making sure to stir to break up ground meat.

2. Add seasoning mix and beef broth.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until sauce is slightly thickened.

4. Heat taco shells according to package instructions.

5. Assemble as desired!

Happy Home Cooking!

Country Fried Steak

I was introduced to Country Fried Steak back when I first moved to Louisiana. Its true southern cooking at its finest.

I make my gravy separate and before I cook the steaks. My reasons are firstly I like my steaks hot and crispy so having the gravy ready helps. Secondly I don't like the fried oily taste of making the gravy using the oil I fried the steaks. You can do this but like I said for me it's convenience and taste preference.

Cube steak is round steak or top sirloin that has been put through an electrical tenderizer to tenderize it and give it texture. It can also be done with a hand meat tenderizer and help relieve some stress with some good old fashioned beating! It's a fairly cheap cut of meat so great for the budget.

Country Fried Steak

Ingredients:

1/2 stick / 2oz butter

1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 tablespoons

1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion

3 tsp Tony's seasoning or other Cajun seasoning

1 large egg

2 - 3 cups milk, as needed

Four 6 - 8 oz cube steaks

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Make the gravy. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour to pan and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

2. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the milk, 1 tsp of Tonys seasoning, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

3. Bring the gravy to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 - 6 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and there is no raw flour taste. Add additional milk as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

4. To cook steaks. Combine 1 cup flour with 1 tsp of Tonys seasoning in a shallow bowl. Whisk the egg, 1/2 cup milk and 1 tsp of Tony's in another shallow bowl.

5. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off, and then dredge in the flour again. Set the steaks aside in a plate.

6. Add 1/2 cup vegetable oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Carefully add the steaks and fry until golden, about 3 - 5 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

7. Serve the steaks with the hot gravy, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Happy home cooking!

July Meal Plan

Woo hoo!!! The July Meal Plan is here! Sorry I didn't get it posted before today but hey order pizza tonight!!!

For  complete details of the meals go to the Meal Plan page

I know there are a few recipes I still need to add and I will have them up in the next few days. I am hoping August I can work out the shopping list for you too!!!!

Happy Home Cooking!!!

Chicken Pot Pie

I'm not a huge fan of chicken pot pie. I love the filling and I love the pastry but I don't like them together, what can I say I'm a little strange. However my husband loves it, together! Plus this is one of those dishes that freezes really well. I have in the past made several pies and stuck them in the freezer making the next month really easy!

In the pictures shown there are no mushrooms in the pie because my husband hates mushrooms. I love them and could happily eat a mushroom pie, hmm, interesting idea!!! So if you are wondering why they are in the recipe but not in the pictures that is the answer.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 (3.5lb) whole chicken

5 cups water

2 celery stalk tops with leaves

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 Tablespoons/ 1.5 oz butter

3 scallions, sliced

2 large celery ribs, chopped

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 carrots, diced and cooked

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup heavy/double cream

Pie Crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

10 Tablespoons/ oz butter, cold and cubed

5 Tablespoons water

Directions:

To make the pie crust:

1. Mix the dry ingredients.

2. Add half the butter to the flour mix and place the other half in the freezer. Bear with me! Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips, until it is the size of breadcrumbs. You can use a pastry cutter.

3. Add the remaining butter and continue to rub it in until it is the size of small peas. Try to make sure that the butter stays cold.

4.Sprinkle the water into the flour, one tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork. It should stick together but still look dry.

5. Form into a disk and wrap with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour but ideally overnight.

6. Roll out pastry on a floured surface until larger than the pie dish. Gently place the pastry in the dish and push down to fill it. Trim the edges.

7. Roll out a second piece of pastry for the topping crust. Again just a little bigger than needed.

To make Filling:

1. Add chicken, 5 cups water, 2 celery stalk tops with leaves, salt and pepper in a large Dutch oven. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer mixture 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is done.

2. Remove chicken, reserving 3 1/2 cups broth in Dutch oven; discard celery tops. Let chicken cool; skin, bone and cut into bite-size pieces.

3. Melt butter in skillet. Saute green onions, chopped celery and mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender.

4. Gradually whisk in flour until blended.

5. Gradually add reserved broth; cook whisking constantly, for 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.

6. Stir in chicken, carrots, salt, pepper, thyme and cream.

7. Spoon mixture into prepared pie dishes. Brush the edge with water. Place the second piece of pastry on top. 

8. Using a fork, crimp the edges of the pie to seal the crust together.

9. Brush the top of the pie with egg white and cut a vent in the top.

10. Bake at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Happy Home Cooking!

Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are one of those dishes that can be an appetizer, party snack or meal. Around here it's wing night once a month.

I have to admit that this is not completely from scratch, I do cheat and use bottled wing sauce. I simply haven't gone all the way and tried. I really want to because everytime I find a sauce I like the store stops carrying that brand.

So talking about sauces when I first made this I used Emeril's Hot Wing sauce. It's a really delicious sauce and wonderfully seasoned, hey it's Emeril! The only problem is I can't seem to find it at any of the local grocery stores. You can order it directly from his website or you can find it on Amazon.

I've tried a few others that I found at the grocery store but currently my favourite is Hooters sauce. I have always heard that Hooters has the best wings but I was sceptical because well what is Hooters really renowned for? Cute girls in skimpy shorts.

About a year ago the CBS show Undercover Boss was about Hooters. I was kinda shocked that the owner and CEO thought of Hooters as a family restaurant. Well after trying the wing sauce with my wings I decided I would have to give it a go. On Mother's Day they were offering free wings for all mothers. I told my husband that's where I wanted to go.

Well yes the uniforms are skimpy and the waitresses are all beautiful girls. But I have to say it was a very pleasant experience and the food was delicious!!! Ok so here is it, officially Hooters I apologise for my mis-judgement!

I do hope to give homemade wing sauce a go. Then I could control the spice level. But that is for a later date. Also if spicy isn't your thing then drizzle the wings with BBQ sauce.

The Blue Cheese Dressing is a must and so delicious. It doesn't last long around here. The further in advance you make it the better the taste. Home Made Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe.

I love adding baby carrots and celery to the plate and recently I started using baby sweet peppers. They are like mini bell peppers and so yummy. Plus the veggies even out the fried wings and fries!

Buffalo-style Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

20 whole chicken wings

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 bottle of wing sauce

Baby carrots or 8 large carrots cut into sticks

8 celery ribs, cut into sticks

Baby sweet peppers

Seasoned fries

Home Made Blue Cheese Dressing

Directions:

1. Separate the chicken wings into drumettes and wings, discarding the wing tip joint. Place chicken wings and drumettes into a large ziplock bag.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Add the seasoned flour tithe plastic bag and toss to coat well.

3. Pour the chicken wings and excess flour onto a baking sheet and spread evenly. Allow the chicken to sit on the floured baking sheet to dry out for about an hour.

4. Preheat deep fryer or a large pot filled halfway with vegetable oil to 350 degrees F.

5. Add the chicken to hot oil and fry until cooked through and crispy, about 10 - 13 minutes.

6. In a large bowl add the butter. Place the wings in the bowl and drizzle with the wing sauce. Toss to coat well. Serve hot with the fries, vegetables and Blue Cheese Dressing on the side.

Happy Home Cooking!

Lasagna

Lasagna should be the Italian word for comfort food. There's just no other way to describe it. The ultimate one dish meal.

I have always loved it and will admit that many a frozen lasagna was eaten when I was younger. When I moved to the States and started cooking every day it was quickly placed on my list of dishes. I admit I had never made one from scratch before. Most of the recipes I found called for Ricotta cheese which seems to be the American version of lasagna. Now if this is what you have known and love then I am not knocking it but the lasagna I grew up on didn't have ricotta cheese but a delicious white sauce.

Now I did use the ricotta method for years and was ok with it but it was missing that rich creamy layer. So with a little searching I found that it was a bechamel sauce. So no more ricotta and hello creamy layer.

This is a wonderful make ahead dish that you can make and stick in the refrigerator until time to cook. I would add 10 minutes cooking time. You can even go so far as freezing it. Leftovers freeze well and if you cut it into portion size will make the perfect quick lunch or dinner in a hurry.

Serve it with a delicious green salad and garlic bread and you have comfort

food Italian style!

Lasagna

Ingredients:

8oz lasagna noodles (I use about 9 sheets for the dish I use)

1 finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1lb lean (90/10) ground meat

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp sugar

1 can Hunts Pasta Sauce zesty & spicy (or pasta sauce of your choice)

1/2 tsp Tony's Cajun seasoning

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 oz (1/2 stick) butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Add onion, garlic and ground meat to a skillet and cook until brown. Stir in sauce, italian seasoning and sugar. Cover and simmer on low heat.

4. To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a medium pan over low heat. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute.

5. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Return to the heat and stir constantly until the sauce boils and begins to thicken. Simmer for another minute.

6. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp of Tony's and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the sauce to prevent a sling forming; set aside.

7. To construct the lasagna use a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Add a little meat sauce to the bottom, just enough to cover. Layer 3 lasagna noodles, 1/2 the bechamel sauce, 1/3 of meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Repeat layer one more time. Add 3 more layers and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

8. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Quick tip, spray the foil with cookin spray to prevent it from sticking to the cheese. Trust me this will make life easier!

9. Bake for 30 minutes (40 minutes if cooking from refrigerator).

10. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbling. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting for easier serving.

Happy Home Cooking!

Operation Restore Order Day 2

Well so far so good. I actually managed to get ALL required loads of laundry done and my bonus load, care of my handsome little 2 year old! It was 10pm before the dryer finished but it did finish! Today shouldn't be too hard, a load of dish cloths and then a load of aprons. If that takes all day I may as well quit now!!!

So my big task today is to go through my pantry and freezer and see what I have and figure out what to do with it all. The stock take is done and I seem to have a thing for buying pasta, chocolate chips and powdered sugar! Mmm! That and I actually lost count of the bags of frozen fish in the freezer after 20 something. Think I'm going to have to hide the fishing poles, for my poor freezers sake. Poor think needs to be defrosted BAD!

I also discovered I have a thing for frozen strawberries. Think I was wanting to make some strawberry pies at one stage. So task this week Strawberry Pie.

The pasta will be easy to use because I LOVE pasta. I swear I must have a little Italian blood, of course potatoes are still my first love!

I also have an added dilemma. Cucumbers! One of the gentlemen that Ken works with, I think I mentioned this before, is an avid gardener. I've been making Ratatouille like crazy (I'll post my version of Julia Childs recipe later). The only problem is he had given us 2 grocery bags of cucumbers. I HATE them! For that reason I don't know what to do with them! I will make Ken and the boys a pasta salad that they love and there was some mention of cucumbers in vinegar, must investigate and experiment!

It is such a wonderful blessing to get home grown vegetables and I just love the quality!!! One of the biggest expenses on my grocery bill is produce simply because I cook from scratch so much. I am hoping one day we will have enough land to have a garden to provide all we need.

I was watching TLCs Extreme Couponing last night and the lady went to a farm to buy a whole calf. She said the meat was half the price of buying it at the store! I love the idea. She said one calf fed her family for a year. I think this is something I really want to look into. Right now my main goal is to start reducing a lot of the household expenses.

Well I better go, my chicken is boiling on the stove for some Gumbo. Plus I'm pretty sure I just heard my dryer end!

Happy Home Cooking the orderly way!

Home cooking chaos!!

I was trying to think of an appropriate title for this post and the word chaos came to mind!

We are in a state of transition over here and this month has been really busy. I made the decision in April NOT to do a meal plan for May because I didn't know what the schedule was going to look like and decided I would fly by the seat of my pants.

BAD IDEA!

I'm not the most scheduled of people but after 2 years of boarding school

I learnt that I actually do well in a structured environment but seem to lack the skills to develop lasting routines. Becoming a wife and cooking has helped nurture some of those skills. I have a laundry schedule telling me which days to do which loads and to minimize the 'I don't have a clean ____' situation. For the longest time it had worked beautifully but I've noticed that over the past few months I've got off it and now Hello Chaos!

It's funny how the laundry and cooking were the two areas I have had some control and structure and now that I'm missing it I am at my wits end. I feel a kind of domestic instability which is spilling over into every aspect of my life. In turn it's leading to added stress on an already stressed load.

It has really highlighted to me the importance in planning when running a household. I've heard some people mention that you need to approach your role as home-keeper like being the CEO.

So time to get things straight again. I am going to spend the rest of May restructuring this house and doing a good clean out, including my pantry. I want to try and use what I have. My freezer is getting a little less packed and hopefully my hubby will refrain from adding more fish because soon all we will have in there is fish! Fish Fry time I think!

So I will try and check in with progress reports and do June's meal plan!!

Tonight I am trying Julia Child's Ratatouille recipe. One of the foresters my husband works with loves to garden and he came home with bags of beautiful eggplant, corn, zucchini, squash, green bell pepper and tomatoes. I've been wanting to give it a go for a while but have no idea what I'm doing!! So fingers crossed it will taste good! It looks messy but it's basically vegetable stew so I don't think stew ever really look pretty.

It was really delicious and got a thumbs up from all the men, although my father in law wanted more tomatoes while my husband argued there were enough.

I think it's a perfect summer dish because it's nice and light but very filling and HEALTHY!!! Doesn't make me feel bad about having a second helping because calorie wise it's probably really diet friendly.

Happy home cooking - minus the chaos!

Peri Peri Chicken update

I was so excited at one of my finds will at Target today getting groceries and I just had to share it with you. 

They are now selling Nandos Peri Peri sauce.

So if you are going to try the dish getting the sauce just got a whole lot easier!!!! Thanks Target!

Happy Home Cooking!

Chicken & Dumplings

I have to be honest this is the first time I have ever cooked this dish. I think I may only have eaten it once too, so I was going in blind!!! I picked an Emeril Lagasse recipe because I love Emeril and his cooking, like me he's not a Louisiana native but he knows Cajun cooking!

Here is the link to his recipe Emeril's Spicy Chicken & Dumplings. Yes it does say 'spicy' but it's not too bad and actually I found it a little weak on spicy side!

It was a big hit around here and definitely going to be a regular. Although straight up I have some changes I want to make.

1. I only used one large japaleno pepper so that might be why it wasn't as hot so I think I'll add 2 next time and a little Tony's!

2. I cut my chicken up too small and it all fell apart, plus I think I'll cook the cooking time for the chicken down.

3. I'll make my dumplings bigger, maybe 3 inch x 3 inch squares.

4. Oh and I added 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 didn't do it for me, if you are going down that road you may as well go ALL the way.

Now I do want to talk about the chicken itself, and no it wasn't one of my girls!!!! About a month ago I saw Whole Foods had a sale on their organic whole chicken which made it about the same price as the Gold n' plump variety that I buy (I like it because it's natural and not a lot of skin or extras like Sanderson Farm). So I got a few of the Whole Foods chickens and threw them in the freezer. I used one for this dish and can I say I am a convert!!!! The stock was beyond delicious and I didn't really have to skim too much stuff off the top as it boiled. The meat was juicy and perfect. So Whole Foods please have another sale so I can go get more!!!! I guess it's back to the old saying of quality ingredients make quality dishes.

Happy Home Cooking!!!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Gumbo is a Louisiana tradition. The first time I was coming over here to visit my husband when we were dating, my housemate's boyfriend told me I had to have Gumbo, he didn't know what it was but he had heard of it. So when I got here I asked Ken about it and he introduced me to Gumbo. To me it is a cross between a stew and a soup and as to what the traditional recipe is well that varies from kitchen to kitchen. Some say it's traditional to add tomatoes, some say it's a huge no no. As to the the meat well it can be anything that a Cajun can think off.

At the end of my first trip to Louisiana my mother in law gave me a gumbo mix pack and tin of Rotel tomatoes to take back to Northern Ireland to make Gumbo. I am really good at following recipes but I'm horrible at mixes, adding water seems to be beyond me! Anyhow I decided to cook it for my mother and was really excited to introduce her to it. Well the mix was for a huge pot and back then I didn't own a measuring cup never mind knew what to do with one. So I add a bit of mix and a bit of water. Well the concentration was off and well let say we couldn't eat it and had some unhappy stomachs for a day or so. 

After I got married, a few months later, I was on a mission to learn to make Gumbo from scratch because well the mix and I weren't getting on too well. I found a recipe and added my spin and now I use the same base and just switch between seafood or chicken and sausage. I add tomatoes to mine and okra. Okra helps thicken the gumbo. Yes I do make the roux from scratch although I don't always stand there for 45 minutes to get a dark chocolate roux. I don't like burning my roux so I have a habit of stopping at a dark peanut butter color. Sauteing the vegetables in the roux adds their flavor throughout the entire gumbo.

Gumbo freezes really well and I have been known to make a massive pot and freeze enough for 4 or 5 meals. It's also great if you are cooking for a large group of people. As a Christmas/Thanksgiving Turkey leftover dish just switch out the chicken for the turkey!

Oh and yes I have cooked this for my mother, she was a little apprehensive at first but she does prefer this version to her first experience!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb hot smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices

1 whole chicken

½ cup olive oil

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

½ cup chopped celery

2 quarts chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

Frozen okra, thawed

Tin of diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2 tsp Creole seasoning

½ tsp dried thyme

1 T Worcestershire sauce

½ to 1 tsp hot sauce

½ cup sliced green onions

Hot cooked rice

Directions:

 1. Boil chicken in pot with Tony’s seasoning until cooked. Strip chicken meat and set aside.

2. Brown sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove to paper towel, reserving drippings.

3. Measure drippings, adding enough oil to measure ½ cup. Heat in Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.

4. Add flour to hot oil; cook, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of chocolate (about 30 - 45 minutes). 

5. Add onion, green pepper and celery; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

6. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan; add garlic and next 7 ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

7. Add sausage to pan and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in green onions; cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

8. Remove bay leaves; serve gumbo over rice. 

To complete the meal serve with potato salad and bread.

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

I can honestly say Jambalaya is one of my favorite Cajun dishes. It's ability to be cooked on mass makes it one of the most social dishes. 

On the subject, my friend is holding a Jambalaya Plate Benefit for Corbin Duplechin, a precious little angel that was taken from his parents too soon. You can read the details and how to get involved if you live in the Baton Rouge area on the link above.

So back to the jambalaya. This is one of the dishes that I used to cook from a box mix, Zatarians was my brand of choice. It was fairly good but when I needed to change my diet to less processed this was the first that I started from scratch and I can honestly say that it really doesn't take much more time than the box mix and it tastes a million times better.

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

Prep Time: 1 hour

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and ground pepper

1 lbs sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices

2 cups chopped onion

1 cups chopped celery

1 cups chopped green bell pepper

1 Tbsp minced garlic

4 cups chicken stock (or water flavored with chicken bouillon)

1 Tbsp Kitchen bouquet (browning agent)

1 Tbsp seasoning salt (I use Tony’s, surprise surprise!)

2.5 cups uncooked long grain white rice

Directions:

 1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to a large Dutch oven or stockpot along with the sausage and cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes. If it starts to brown the bottom of the pot don't worry this adds to the color and flavor, just don't let it burn.

2. Remove chicken and sausage from pan; set aside.

3. Add onions, celery, green peppers and garlic; cook, stirring 7 – 10 minutes or until vegetables begin to wilt.

4. Stir in chicken stock, reserved chicken and sausage, Tony's and Kitchen Bouquet.

5. Bring to a boil; add rice and return  to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer.

6. Cook 10 minutes; remove cover and stir. Replace cover and cook 15 – 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

To complete the meal, serve with salad and fresh bread rolls.

Peri Peri Chicken

I lived in London for 3 years and right across from my flat they opened a Nando's chicken. I LOVED this place. I love chicken anyway but something about the way they cooked it and the sauce just was divine! Anyhow that was a long time ago and the nearest Nando's is Washington D.C. (The irony is like Starbucks they have one in Belfast now after I move away!!!)

We were watching a cooking show, the BBQ University, man does that show make me hungry, and he was cooking Peri Peri Chicken Wings. They looked so good and it reminded me of Nando's. So I got on their website and the wonderful, thoughtful people have put their sauce in a jar and they will ship it to you!!! Yes even down here in Louisiana. So I order some and created this dish!!!! It is definitely a huge hit around here!!!!

Anyhow I do cheat and use a jar sauce! However you may remember my weekend project that I started a while back to grow some Buckeye Chilies, which is gives the Peri Peri Sauce it's Peri Peri. So once my babies grow I'll be experimenting with my own version. For now I order regularly from Nando's and if you wish to do so too, click this link, US Store Garlic Peri Peri Sauce or UK Nandos Shop. I prefer the Garlic Peri Peri Sauce. I have found it in at World Market in the US but the selection is extremely limited.

I also like to use the mini sweet peppers in the dish but regular peppers will work too. You can easily find them at Target or Walmart.

 

Peri Peri Chicken

Ingredients:

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

2 bottles Nando's Garlic Peri Peri Sauce

12 mini sweet peppers or 1 small red and 1 small yellow bell pepper

1/8 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

2. In a hot skillet, sear the chicken skin side down until golden brown. Flip and brown the under side. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

2. If using mini pepper slice in half and de-seed. If regular peppers, cut into 1 inch slices.

3. In a large 8 x 13 dish add the two bottles of sauce, vinegar and water and mix until combined.

4. Add the chicken, skin side up and add the peppers.

5. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and cover with foil.

6. Place pan in oven and bake for 35 minutes.

To complete the meal, serve with Potato wedges and salad.

Happy Home Cooking!

Sauce Update - March 28, 2012

Chicken Parmesan

I don't know how traditional a version of this dish this recipe is but it gets a thumbs up from my family.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 T chopped fresh basil

2 T balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

 ½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp black pepper

4 (4oz) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 T olive oil

Cooking spray

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

3 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 6oz uncooked)

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté for 7 minutes.
2. Stir in canned tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat; stir in parsley, basil, vinegar, ¼ tsp black pepper and garlic.
4. To prepare chicken: combine flour, parmesan and ¼ tsp black pepper in a shallow dish.
5. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to ¼” thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. 
6. Dip each breast half in egg white; dredge in flour mixture.
7. Heat 1 T oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
8. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until golden.
9. Arrange in a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
10. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
11. Serve over pasta with the spaghetti sauce.

Happy Home Cooking!

Chili

Chili is one of those dishes that just says yummy, filling food. It's also one of those foods that has no set standard, it depends where you are and who you are with. It was one of the first things that we were taught to cook in Home Economics in school, but I can guarantee it wasn't the most flavorsome version!

I first developed this recipe when I decided I wanted to throw a cowboy themed 1st birthday party for my oldest son. And well when it came to the menu nothing says cowboy like a big old pot of chili!!!!

The original version had chunks of meat instead of ground meat and I actually really liked it but in our house ground is preferred. Although after hearing about the pink slime they add to the ground meat I'm thinking that I might start grinding my own meat. I haven't watched the news articles too closely because I don't think I could stomach it. Oh for the days of the local butcher where you could watch them grind it in front of you to order!!!!!

Chili

Serves about 6 

Ingredients

1 lb groundmeat (I use the leanest I can find 90/10 or 93/7)

1 1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic

2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1 (28oz) can chopped tomatoes, undrained

1 (15oz) can dark red kidney beans, reduced sodium or no sodium, drained and rinsed

1 (15oz) can ranch style beans

1 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch Oven add ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno and cook until browned and vegetables softening.

2. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You may also add it to your crock pot at this point and let it cook there for about 8 hours on low. If you started in the morning it would be perfect for dinner.

To complete the meal, serve with rice, or baked potato (my favorite) or with Fritos and cheese!

Happy Home Cooking!