BBQ Grilled Chicken, Grilled Asparagus and Couscous

So, this is not a dinner that I would brag about, but I did say that I was going to try to blog about ALL of my dinners, not just the good ones. Here's what I did....

Chicken: I had 3 medium sized chicken breasts that I filleted in two, making them thin sliced. I then put them in a large ziploc bag and added some Honey Mustard Dinosaur BBQ sauce that I had in my pantry (thanks Arlene!!) to them and let them sit in the fridge for a couple hours. My hubby grilled them on our grill. I think having them thin sliced, and marinating helps b/c they don't sit on the grill as long and get dried out. It takes some of the guess work out of using larger chicken breasts.

Aparagus: I the good old ziploc steamer bag for about 15 seconds less than the instructions on the side directed, and then Dan gave them a sear on the grill. I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder prior to steaming.

Couscous: My mother in law gave me some tomato couscous awhile back that is AWESOME, but it didn't come with directions. So...I'm pretty sure I've made it different each time. This time I sauteed 1/2 an onion and a clove of garlic, and then added 3 cups of vegetable broth (used Better than Bouillion) and brought it to a boil. When the broth was boiling, I added 2 cups of couscous, turned off the heat, and let it sit for 5 mins. Fluff with a fork and serve. 2 cups of dry couscous yields A LOT of couscous, so I'd suggest making half of this. I only made so much b/c my husband loves couscous.

So...apparently the consequence of me blogging about the boring meals means me blabbering on about them. I was happy b/c both of my kids ate all of the food. I think my 9 month old will eat just about anything I put on his tray. He chewed that chicken like a champ with his two teeth and gums!

Crabapple Jam

I posted awhile ago about my "discovery" of canning. So, I'm at it again! Anyone who's been in my back yard has probably noticed that I have a big crab apple tree. I'd love to have it removed b/c it's not very pretty and it drops apples all over the yard, but we live in military housing, so that's not even an option. So...this year I decided to put the apples to use by making some jam. I even got my 3 year old involved helping me pick and wash them. I made 5 jars using the recipe below, and then I added 3 diced jalapenos that I had boiled in a small amount of water prior to adding them.

Ingredients:

• 5 QUARTS CRAB APPLES, REDUCED TO 7 CUPS PULP
• 2 CUPS WATER
• ¼ CUP LEMON JUICE
• 1 CUP APPLE JUICE
• ½ CUP WATER
• 1 PKG. PECTIN
• 1 1/3 CUPS HONEY

Directions:

1. Cook crabapples in 2 cups water until they begin to pop (about 20 minutes).
2. Press the cooked crabapples through a sieve or food mill.
3. In a large saucepanb or kettle, combine pulp, lemon juice, apple juice and water.
4. Slowly add pectin.
5. Stir until dissolved.
6. Add honey.
7. Bring to a rolling boil; boil 1 minute, remove from heat.
8. Pour into sterilized jars, seal, and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

So...the jam with the jalapenos is pretty spicy, and I haven't tried the plain jam yet. I'm planning to use the jalapeno jam over cream cheese for a tasty appetizer. I'm just psyched that I did something with those darn apples...and I also grew the jalapenos, so it's all from my back yard!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I watched my friend Julie make homemade chicken noodle soup a few months ago, and immediately started trying to recreate it- homemade noodles and all....here's my basic recipe, although I strayed a bit from it yesterday...

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
1 c chopped carrots
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped onion
2 tsp garlic powder
2 chicken builion cubes
egg noodles
salt and pepper, to taste

Boil the chicken, whole, in enough water to cover it, with garlic powder and boullion added. It's done when it starts to fall apart. Remove the chicken from the water and pull the meat off the bones (it should be falling off) and discard the bones. If you have more time, you can return the bones to the stock to add flavor. If you have time- cool the stock and skim the fat.

In a separate pot, saute veggies, until tender. Add them, and the chicken back to the broth. Simmer as long as you have time. Return to a boil, add egg noodles and cook until al dente. Salt and pepper to taste. You may also add some evaporated milk at the end to make it a bit creamier (use skim).

Here's what I did last night...I didn't have a whole chicken, so I used 2 large chicken breasts instead. I sauted onions, carrots and garlic (no celery this time) and then added 5 cups of broth and 2 cups of water. I used 3 c chicken broth, and 2 c veggie broth. The most important part of this soup is using home made egg noodles....here's the recipe for them, from allrecipes.com:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.
3. Allow to air dry before cooking.
4. To cook fresh pasta, in a large pot with boiling salted water cook until al dente.

I half the noodle recipe for this soup, but you can make the full recipe and freeze half of the noodles to use later, which I have also done. I recommend rolling out the dough, and then rolling it up into a log, slicing it into 1/2 inch strips, rolling them out, and then cutting them into 1 inch noodles. It's VERY easy. I have never let the dough rest, and never had a problem.

The result...regardless of how I make it, this soup is always soooo good! I usually had sriracha sauce to my bowl, and so does my husband. Even my 9 month old and 3 year old enjoyed it! I think that making it with chicken breasts makes it soooo much easier, but I do like having some dark meat in the soup- maybe next time I'll buy some boneless/skinless thighs to use with the breasts!

Steak and Stuff

I've been out of town for the past week, so don't fear that we haven't been eating! I often buy a couple steaks when I go to the commissary, and make them that night. Last night was one of those nights. Dan grilled the steaks, and made a chimichurri sauce to go with them. For this he uses fresh parsley, cilantro and garlic, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. He salt and peppers the steaks before he grills them. This meal was SUPER gourmet, so I served it with SPIRAL Kraft Mac and Cheese, and steamed broccoli (I use the steamer bags with garlic powder on it and then add EVOO and salt and pepper). Tonight I'm making homemade chicken noodle soup....I'll blog on that later- it should be yummy!!

Zucchini Crab Cakes and Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce

We have family visiting this weekend, so I am happy to be able to cook a few big meals while they are here. The zucchini crab cake recipe is from allrecipes.com, and I have made them before- I bake them, instead of frying them, and will adjust the recipe to reflect this. The beef recipe is from foodnetwork.com. We visited friends in Atlanta 2 weeks ago, and Tony made this for us.

Zucchini Crab Cakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

I swear sometimes I'm recipe retarded. I was just looking at the recipe, and I definitely didn't follow it, but here's what I did.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a baking pan or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients together (the original recipe says to put the flour on the outside, but I missed this, and both times I made them, mixed it in). Shape into patties with your hands, and place on baking sheet.
3. Bake 15 mins, turn patties, and bake another 15 mins. If they do not seem browned, turn on the broiler for 3-4 mins at the end.

I also made a remoulade-ish sauce to go with these. I didn't measure the ingredients, but here's what I put in it: mayonnaise, whole grain mustard, sweet relish, ciracha hot sauce, and lime juice. It's super tasty!

And now for the super tasty beef!!!

Beef Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds skirt, flank or sirloin tip steak, cut into thin wide strips against the grain
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon toasted chopped peanuts

Directions:

Place the beef strips in a medium-sized bowl and pour the teriyaki sauce over them. Add 1 tablespoon of ginger, 1 tablespoon garlic and the salt to the bowl and stir to combine. Marinate, refrigerated, while you make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ginger, peanut butter and coconut milk in a small bowl and whisk together. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic to the bowl and whisk to combine. Place the sauce in a serving bowl and garnish with the cilantro and chopped peanuts. Remove the beef strips from the refrigerator and use skewers to thread the meat. Have your guests grill the satays themselves over the grill, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side for medium-rare. Serve, with the dipping sauce on the side.


Dan made a fennel salad that had mixed greens, almonds, oranges and a honey lemon vinaigrette, which was awesome!

The result: One word...YUM!! Such a good description, right?? I think next time I'll bake the zucchini cakes for a little bit longer to dry them out some. I know that I will make both of these recipes again and again.

Old People Fruit Salad

So, one of the few people who I know reads this blog is my sister in law Jen...which explains why she sends me recipes, and I make them! However, I've had the impression that she thinks I spend my days slaving over the stove creating these "gourmet" meals. Some days, I do, and I truly enjoy doing it...other days I'd rather eat out, or we scrounge together a meal out of the freezer and pantry. In an effort to prove this fact, I'm now going to try to blog about ALL my dinners- regardless of their tastiness! I make no promises. Yesterday was one of the scrounging days. I hadn't been to the commissary in a week and a half, so the fridge was pretty bare. We had Bubba Burgers (frozen), Lipton parmesan noodles and "Old People Fruit Salad." To give Dan credit, he did jazz up the burgers. Each one had a different seasoning-cajun, middle eastern and italian. They were pretty tasty! The noodles were stuck to the bottom of the pan. How for the fruit salad...

As a teenager, I worked in the kitchen at an assisted living facility. One of the "desserts" they served was sliced bananas with orange juice poured over them. I remember thinking it was pretty bizarre, but then I tried it, and it was tasty- the flavors complimented each other so well! These days, when I make this, I add whatever fruit I have available. Last night it was bananas (always include these), cherries (sliced) and grapes (sliced). You mix all these together, and then pour about a cup of orange juice over them. Let it sit in the fridge for about an hour...this isn't necessary, but I think makes it tastier! Scoop it out with a big spoon (serving the juice with it) and enjoy! You could even eat it with your dentures out, I suppose :oP

EASY Chicken Pot Pie

I have my friend Lindsay to thank for this recipe. She never actually made it for me, but I watched her make it about 4 years ago, and have made it many times since. You can make it with two pie crusts, or one. This time I just had one. I use the Pillsbury ones that you roll out (they come in a red box). Since I just had one, I didn't make it in a pie pan this time, I just used a cookie cutter to cut out circles for the top crust, and did not use a bottom crust.

Ingredients:
1 or 2 pie crusts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 15 oz can mixed vegetables (I use Veg-all)
1 12.5 oz can chicken
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. Line pie pan with one pie crust, if desired.
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon ingredients into bottom crust, or round casserole, if not using a bottom crust. Top with other crust, or cut crust into shapes for top.
3. Bake, uncovered for 40 mins, or until crust is well browned.

The result: you seriously can't mess this one up. My 3 year old AND my 8 month old both enjoyed it! My husband and I both added a little hot sauce to spice it up.