101 Picnic Dishes to Make in 20 Minutes – NYTimes.com.
Another great blog entry I came across today from the New York Times. It is the season of picnics, and even if you decide at the last minute to go, you can still whip up most of these ingredients in no time at all. Give it a try!
Blog Post: The Truth about Salad – America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School.
Here’s a great blog post from America’s Test Kitchen with some tips on how to make a great salad. Sure they are tips most of us have probably thought of before, but maybe we don’t always practice them. A good salad is great anytime for as a side for a dinner, a lunch, for a party or even a meal on its own. Check it out for yourself.
On a side note, work has kept me pretty busy lately so I haven’t had much blog time, but I do hope to get back to writing my own blog for cooking tonight instead of using others that I find interesting. Enjoy and see you later!
10 Refreshing Summer Desserts (That Just Happen to Be Low-Calorie): BA Daily: bonappetit.com.
With all this hot weather, here are a few cool summer treats that are also low calorie. There are several different ice pops and fruit desserts listed in this blog entry from Bon Appetit. I think I am going to give a couple of them a try. You should check it out and do the same!
I do seem to pick odd times to make turkey. I think a lot of people think of it as a Fall meal, but we love turkey in our house and it’s great anytime. I made a turkey breast a few weeks ago, and I have found them on sale recently, so I haven’t been able to resist buying them. This recipe is another roasting recipe, though you could probably do this one on the grill instead if you wanted to. This is a great one pot meal with the turkey, potatoes and vegetables all in one pan.
Roast Turkey Breast With Glazed Vegetables
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 pound sweet potatoes, halved or quartered if large
1 pound small parsnips, peeled and halved
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fronds
1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 to 3 springs rosemary, plus 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 skin-on, bone in turkey breast half (3 to 4 pounds)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the honey and 2 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Put the potatoes, parsnips, fennel slices, onion, dried apricots and rosemary sprigs in a roasting pan. Add 1/2 a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, drizzle with the honey mixture and toss. Roast until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes, stirring once.
Meanwhile, mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the garlic, lemon zest and chopped rosemary in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture under and over the turkey skin. Season with salt and pepper and bring the meat to room temperature.
Place the turkey on top of the vegetables in the pan; roast until the skin browns and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes (Cover with foil if the skin gets too dark.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes.
Toss the roasted vegetables with lemon juice and the fennel fronds. Slice the turkey and serve with the vegetables.
A few quick notes on what I did when cooking this recipe. The turkey breast I had was only 1 1/2 pounds, so I cut the recipe in half. Also, I replaced the rosemary with parsley (Michelle doesn’t care for rosemary) and I didn’t use the fennel at all (too expensive in the store and we aren’t big fans of it anyway). The remainder of the recipe stayed the same.
I love the way the turkey came out and the fact that the whole meal was done in one pan made for easy clean up. Nothing is better than nice and simple, especially on a warm day.
A quick and easy meal and recipe for today. I still have some chicken to use for tomorrow, I just haven’t decided how to use it yet. We’ll have to see what I can come up with. Enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
7 Tips for Feeding Picky Kids | Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog.
I have a lot friends with young children and this is a problem I hear a lot. We went through this with Sean, but now at 11 he is more willing to at least try new things. This article gives some tips and guidance to try and help you along with feeding your kids. Check it out!
I got some tilapia on sale at the market the other day and was looking for a new way to cook it without frying. I came across this recipe on the Food Network and it fit perfectly. I already have everything in the house, which made it even easier. It’s a very quick recipe and goes perfectly at this time year when tomatoes are ripe and tasting great.
Baked Tilapia with Tomato and Basil
Non-stick cooking spray
2 (8 ounce) tilapia fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with the nonstick cooking spray.
Sprinkle the fish evenly with salt and pepper. Arrange the tilapia in a baking dish and sprinkle evenly with basil, oregano, onion powder and garlic. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the fish and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and serve immediately.
The fish turned out perfectly and the flavor from the tomatoes mixed very well with the fish and the spices on the fish. As side dishes, I made corn on the cob and I decided to make some black beans and rice. The black beans and rice could easily be a meal on its own if you wanted it to be. It’s not a tough recipe and takes a little longer, but you can make it ahead and re-heat it if necessary.
Black Beans with Rice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red or yellow pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup dried black beans, washed, picked over and soaked if you have the time
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1 cup chopped tomato
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Put th oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cover loosely and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, until the beans are about half-done, softening but still tough in the middle, about 40 minutes (if you didn’t soak the beans, it will take about an hour or more) Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Use an immersion blender or a potato masher to semi-puree the beans in the pot. Leave at least half unpureed.
Stir in the rice, tomato and a good amount of salt and pepper. If you don’t want a crust to develop, cover the pot. Bake in the oven until the rice and beans are tender, about an hour, adding a little water if needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve or store, covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If storing, when you re-heat, stir in a little water and olive oil just before serving.
As I said, the black beans and rice could easily be a meal as themselves. You could eat it this way as a vegetarian meal or you could add in things like chorizo, some diced cooked chicken or some shrimp.
All in all, it was a very nice meal for the two of us.For tomorrow, I do have some chicken that I am not sure what to do with yet. Check back and see what I can find. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!
Michelle and I both decided that this week we are going to try to eat healthier. No more snacks, cutting back on carbs, more fruits and vegetables all the fun stuff nobody ever really wants to do. What better way to get things started than to have a good breakfast every day. I am really bad about eating in the morning. Normally I only have a cup of coffee and that’s it, but I know that is not the way to go. I decided to try to kill two birds with one stone by having breakfast and having something that will also be good for me and my cholesterol. I had made steel-cut oats before, but I saw a recipe on Saturday by Jamie Deen (Paula’s son) who has his own show on the Food Network now. The recipe looked simple, tasty and would make enough for Michelle and I to both have portions for the entire week.
Steel-Cut Oats with Bananas and Strawberries
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ripe banana, sliced
2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the oats and toast, while stirring, until they smell nutty, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of water, the milk, brown sugar, and salt. Turn up the heat, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove the lid and stir in the banana. Cover again and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring on occasion, until the oats are soft and creamy. Stir in the berries right before serving.
Just a couple of quick notes about this recipe. First, I actually cooked the oats for a little longer since both Michelle and I like oatmeal with less liquid. I added about another 5 to 10 minutes to the cooking time. Secondly, you can easily substitute other fruit into this if you don’t want to use bananas or strawberries. Blueberries would be a great alternative or even some diced apple.
Another great breakfast alternative is another recipe from the same episode from Jamie Deen. He made a very good-looking tropical fruit salad. I decided to alter it slightly since neither of us are fans of coconut, so I eliminated that part of the recipe. Of course, if you like coconut, go for it!
Tropical Fruit Salad with Honey and Lime
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh mint
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 banana, peeled and sliced on the bias
1 small bunch red grapes
1 mango, peeled, pit removed and chopped
1/2 large pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut out on a baking sheet. Toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a small bowl to cool.
Whisk together the honey, mint, lime zest and lime juice. Add the kiwis, banana, grapes, mango and pineapple and toss, making sure all the fruit is coated with the dressing. Sprinkle with coconut before serving.
Fruit salad is so flexible that you can really do just about anything with it. Any kind of melon at all could be added, you could add some orange slices (I personally prefer mandarin oranges) or apple, or really any seasonal fruit at all will work. Make a cup to have for breakfast and you are all set.
Tomorrow night is going to be some tilapia since I got some fresh to make from the market. I’ll scout around for a good, healthy recipe and see what I can come up with. Check back tomorrow and see what I decide to make. Enjoy the rest of your evening and enjoy your meal!
I know it was a very hot day here in New York to think about using the oven, but I had one piece of boneless chicken breast and some pizza crusts, so I decided to use both of them. Since Sean isn’t home for a couple of weeks, I also decided to spice things up a little bit and make something I know he wouldn’t eat, Buffalo Chicken Pizza. I looked around on the Internet and found a whole bunch of recipes for this, so what I did is a kind of combination of several of them that I thought would work best.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
1 large boneless chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup Frank’s hot sauce
½ teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
pinch of sugar
pinch of garlic powder
2 ounces (½ cup) mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup red onion or scallions, diced very fine
1 store bought pizza crust or pre-made pizza crust (I use Boboli myself)
For the chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Thinly slice the chicken breast, dip in the egg to coat, shaking off any excess, then place in the breadcrumbs to coat, again shaking off any excess. Place the chicken in the skillet and saute until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Place the chicken on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
For the buffalo sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, hot sauce, and vinegar. Mix the sauce with the chicken.
For the ranch dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk or yogurt, mayonnaise, sugar, garlic powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Assemble the pizza: Place the pizza dough on a pizza stone or the back of a cookie sheet. Spread the ranch dressing evenly on the pizza dough; top with the chicken, then the cheese, and finally the onion.
Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is browned. Let the pizza rest about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Just a couple of quick notes about the recipe. You could easily use a store-bought ranch dressing instead of making your own, but I think the one I made for this recipe tastes good and is very light. You could also use a tomato sauce instead, but I think the ranch adds to the flavor with the buffalo chicken. A lot of the recipes I found use bleu cheese in addition to the mozzarella cheese. I omitted it from the recipe since neither Michelle nor I are big fans of bleu cheese, but you could add some in when you sprinkle on the cheese.
That’s it for tonight. I’m not sure what I’ll be making for Michelle and myself tomorrow, so we’ll have to wait and see. I have a bunch of things in the freezer, so it could be anything tomorrow, depending on the weather. Check back and see what I come up with. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!
Fun, unusual and forgotten designations on our calendar.
Happily Ever After Lives Here
a little bit naughty a little bit nice
Letting Life Lead
Simple and delicious dinner inspiration
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