This week

So I was hoping the everyone, if possible, could post their weeks meal plan, or at least some ideas.  So here you are:   Tonight, (Wed. Dec. 29) we are probably going to have BLT's...and maybe a taco.   Tomorrow, maybe some yams and some kind of delicious chicken?  Friday night is new years eve, so we are going to have lots of Chinese food...like fried rice, egg rolls, and sweet and sour chicken.  On Saturday we might make a pizza, unless I can think of a better idea.  And now I need to figure out what I'm doing for Sunday dinner.  If you have any suggestions let me know. 

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Mmmmmm... I had leftover pumpkin from pumpkin muffins yesterday, so I decided to try this for breakfast this morning. Rob thought it was weird and wouldn't try any. It was WAY better than I thought it would be.

1/2 c oats
1 c water
1/8 c pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
brown sugar

Mix everything together and microwave for 1 1/2 - 2 min.

I didn't really follow the recipe. I didn't have pumpkin pie spice, so I just added cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and just added enough brown sugar to make it sweet enough. So good for a cool fall morning.

Basil Tomato Fish

• Fresh or frozen halibut or salmon...or whatever you have
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced...I used garlic powder to taste
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 c. peeled, chopped tomato...I just used one lg. one for us
• 4 Tbs. fresh basil
• 2 Tbs. butter, melted

1. Thaw fish, if frozen.  Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towel.  Set aside.  In medium skillet cook onion and garlic in hot oil until tender.  Stir in tomato and 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Bring to boil (I added about 1/4 cup of water too.)  then reduce heat.  Simmer for 15 min.  Stir in 2 Tbs. basil
2. Meanwhile, combine remaining basil and melted butter and brush over one side of fish
3. (Line fish pan with tinfoil)  Place fish, brushed side up on pan, and broil 4 inches from heat for 8 to 12 min. or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork.  
4. Season fish with additional salt and pepper.  Serve with tomato mixture. 

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Here you go Elise.  Now you don't have to make white sauce.  Oh, and Dallas and I usually half this recipe.

• 1 cube margarine, melted in pan
• 1/2 chopped onion

Then add:

• Broccli
• 7 c. water
• 7 chicken bullion cubes

Simmer about 10 min. Then reduce heat and add

• 1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  Mix 1 c. water with 2/3 c. cornstarch, stir into soup until thickened.

Creamy Chicken and Garden Soup

• 1/2 package frozen vegetable mix

• 1 c. corn
• 1 med. zucchini
• chicken (it says 2 thighs, but really whatever you want)
• 14 oz. chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 oz. uncooked egg noodles
• 1 c. half and half
• 1/2 c. thawed peas
• 2 tbs. parsley
• 2 tbs. butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Coat crock pot with nonstick spray.  Place stir fry vegetables, corn, zucchini in the bottom.  Add chicken, garlic, broth, and thyme.  Cook on high 3 to 4 hours.  Remove chicken and cool slightly.
2. Add noodles to crock pot.  Cook 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, de-bone (if you need), and chop chicken.  Return to crock pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  

This picture doesn't really do the soup justice....it actually tastes really good.  

Tiger Sauce Planked Salmon

Enchilada Picture

No need for Joce to post a picture when I have this great one of Mexican food night to share...

Costa Vida Sweet Pork

Costa Vida Sweet Pork

Ingredients

6 (approx) pounds Port butt/shoulder

1 19oz. Red Enchilada Sauce

1 can Dr. Pepper or (20oz)

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Garlic salt

1 ½ c. Brown sugar

1 tbsp. Fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation

*Wrap meat in foil. Put in roasting pan and bake at 275 degrees for 5 hours. Pull the meat out and let it cool for 30 minutes then shred. In separate bowl, mix the enchilada sauce, Dr. Pepper, salt, garlic salt, brown sugar and chopped cilantro. Pour over meat and mix.

As Requested... Mexican Meal

This isn't wholly authentic, but it tends to be a crowd-pleaser... Here is the recipe Nick requested, plus a couple extra ones... I hope this covers my membership on the Z Food blog for quite a few months. :) (Someday I'll take and post a picture if I get around to it.)

Enchilada Sauce
original:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ten-Minute-Enchilada-Sauce/Detail.aspx

my way (the easier way--and I also quadruple the recipe and freeze the leftovers for later or use in another recipe):
2 qts. tomato juice (or one of those really big store-bought ones) or 32 oz tomato sauce + water (maybe 3+ cups?)
Flour (up to 1/2 C to make a thicker consistency, if desired)
1 C chili powder (yep, you'd better buy it in bulk if you're going to make this very often)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
salt to taste
olive oil (optional)

Put tomato sauce/water or tomato juice in a saucepan and mix in flour, if needed. Heat while adding chili powder and spices & salt. Continue cooking until desired consistency, or until your kids cry too much because they're getting hungry. Remove from heat and add olive oil, if desired (maybe 1/4 cup or less?).

Use for enchiladas or anything else that calls for enchilada sauce.

To make more authentic (and complicated--but impressive): Buy those large, dried red chili peppers. Break off stems and open them and remove the seeds (with gloves or something--your hands will burn after a while) and veins as much as possible, unless you like your sauce REALLY hot. Rinse them and put them in water and boil them until they soften. Dump water and softened chiles into a blender and blend. Use some of this mixture (to taste, I guess) instead of chili powder in the recipe.

Stacked Enchiladas:

Corn tortillas

Grated cheese

Chopped onion

Enchilada sauce

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Put a little sauce down if desired. Warm tortillas and put down one tortilla for as many "stacks" as you want (I usually do about 6 on a cookie sheet). Cover each tortilla with sauce and then sprinkle on onion and cheese. Repeat layers 3 more times for a total of 4 layers. Make sure there is enough sauce on them that it drips out and there aren't uncoated spots, or they tend to get really crunchy/tough in the oven. Better to have too much sauce than not enough. Heat in the oven (350 degrees) for about 20 minutes. We usually serve with sour cream on top, but Cordell says the more authentic way is to top with a fried egg. You could probably put other toppings if you wanted as well, but we usually don't. You can cut them in halves or fourths for kids, if needed.

Spanish Rice

Didn't work out quite right at April's because I was told 1 bouillon cube=1 TBS. No--it's 1 tsp--I checked when I got home.

2 TBS oil

2 C rice

1/4 C chopped or diced onion

6 C water

1 heaping TBS chicken bouillon

1 small can tomato sauce (8 oz?)

Heat oil in a pan with rice. Add onion as rice starts to brown (no, don't let it turn brown--that would be burning it) and saute. Add water (watch out for steam and popping grease at this point) tomato sauce and bouillon. Stir. Heat to boiling, then turn heat down to continue simmering (remove lid at this point, if you've had it on) until liquid is cooked out and rice is soft(1/2 hr. to 40 min.). Don't try to stir during the process. (If a little burns or sticks to the bottom, just put the lid back on after cooking and let it sit a little. That usually helps.)

Beans from scratch:

Pinto beans

Water

Salt

Garlic cloves

Soak your desired amount of pinto beans overnight.* (As a couple, we used to do 2-3, with a little child or two, we increased to 4, and now we do 6 cups.)

*Put them in a large bowl and cover with a couple inches of water at least.

In the morning, drain the beans and rinse them with clean water. It is also a good idea to sort through them and take out any bad ones and especially look for rocks. I like to do this after soaking them, because sometimes there are dirt clods that just dissolve and wash away in the soaking/rinsing process, but most Mexican people do this before soaking them I think.

Put soaked and rinsed beans in a crock pot. Cover with a 2-3 inches of water and cook (I usually cook on high) until done. Before putting on the lid, add whole, peeled garlic cloves (vary depending on the amount of beans--I use at least 3 decent sized ones for 6 cups of beans) and salt (2 TBS for 6 cups of beans, 1 1/2 for 4, etc.).

I usually cook 6 cups on high from about 8 a.m. to about 5 p.m., but I really don't time it exactly, and they may be done before 5--that's just when I'm usually getting to dinner. I definitely haven't been able to start cooking in the morning and have them done by lunchtime.

We eat these beans just as they are with rice for one meal usually (maybe with some quesadillas & cabbage salad or something), then they can be used for numerous other meals as well, like: Taco Salad, Chili, Refried beans (heat in a pan and add cheese and maybe a little enchilada sauce or salsa or something), Mexican casseroles, Tostadas or Burritos(with refried beans), etc.

And, for those who are queasy about beans, check this out for the health benefits of beans:

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/12/13/what_is_the_healthiest_of_all_beans.htm

Plus, pinto beans beat out "domesticated" blueberries, prunes, and a lot of other foods in antioxidants:

USDA Ranking of Foods by Antioxidant Capacity
Ranking Food Item Serving Size Total antioxidant capacity per serving size

1 Small Red Bean (dried) Half cup 13727

2 Wild blueberry 1 cup 13427

3 Red kidney bean (dried) Half cup 13259

4 Pinto bean Half cup 11864

5 Blueberry (cultivated) 1 cup 9019

6 Cranberry 1 cup (whole) 8983

7 Artichoke (cooked) 1 cup (hearts) 7904

8 Blackberry 1 cup 7701

9 Prune Half cup 7291

10 Raspberry 1 cup 6058

11 Strawberry 1 cup 5938

12 Red Delicious apple One 5900

13 Granny Smith apple One 5381

14 Pecan 1 ounce 5095

15 Sweet cherry 1 cup 4873

16 Black plum One 4844

17 Russet potato (cooked) One 4649

18 Black bean (dried) Half cup 4181

19 Plum One 4118

20 Gala apple One 3903

So enjoy beans, the "magical fruit," as Uncle Chris would always say! And enjoy some Mexican tonight! Hasta luego!

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

I admit I've been stealing these recipes off Martha Stewart's website. This is my favorite so far.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Amish peanut butter

Does anyone remember that peanut butter spread that mom started making after we visited the Amish at the Woodward family reunion? What was in it?

Pepper-Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken strips
• 1 tsp. shredded lime peel
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 3 Tbs. cooking oil
• 1 tsp. dried thyme or basil 
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced.....or however much you like

1.  Place chicken in a container or resealable bag.  For marinade, stir together lime peel, lime juice, oil, thyme, pepper, salt, and garlic.  Pour over chicken and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. (The real recipe has you drain and save the marinade and then broil the chicken.  We just grilled it. )
3. After a few minutes brush some of the remaining marinade onto the chicken, then cook until done.

Suggestion:  We liked this recipe, but I thought that it might be fun to squeeze some fresh orange juice on top after they are done cooking. 

My Mexican Sister :)

Joce- Could you post your enchilada recipe that you made at Grandma's? That was an awesome dinner.

Fast Chicken Fajitas

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets (about 8)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 8 flour tortillas (6-inch)
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Arrange chicken on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; rub with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Broil, without turning, until chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.
2. On another rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, toss peppers, onion, garlic, and remaining tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender and slightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, thinly slice chicken crosswise. Stack and wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel; microwave on high until warm, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken and pepper mixture to a platter, and serve with tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges.

Chicken and Marinated-Zucchini Sandwich

Serves 4

• 1 zucchini
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound chicken cutlets
• Handful of chopped toasted almonds
• Handful of fresh parsley
• 1 loaf Italian bread
• Romaine lettuce

Directions

1. Slice 1 zucchini into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Combine with 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced, 1 tablespoon thinly sliced lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons each fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and let stand 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season 1 pound chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and broil until cooked through. Let cool, then shred and add to marinated zucchini along with a handful of chopped toasted almonds and fresh parsley. Cut 1 loaf Italian bread in half horizontally and hollow out. Make a sandwich with chicken mixture (including juices) and romaine lettuce leaves.

Cinnamon Bread

I made cinnamon bread today.  Turned out pretty good I'd say, although, Dallas was laughing while I was putting it together because it was just oozing out everywhere.  It worked anyhow.  .....'And who will help me eat this bread?'....I still let him have some even though he laughed. 

Suggestion

First of all:  Thanks to Elise for the lemonade recipe.  It makes living in this 90 degree apartment more bearable.  Secondly, I added to the recipe some fresh grapefruit juice, and needless to say, it turned out most delicious!   

french bread recipe

Elise--Could you post your recipe for crusty french bread?

Cream Cheese Chicken with Broccoli

1-2 lbs. chicken, cut up into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 package Italian salad dressing (I just pour in some dressing)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken
10 oz. broccli
1 package cream cheese cubed
1/4 cup dry sherry...(I don't have that so I just use soda)
Cooked pasta

1. Toss chicken with olive oil.  Sprinkle with Italian dressing.  Place in crock pot and cook on low for 3 hrs
2. In a skillet cook mushrooms and onions for 5 min. Add soup, broccoli, cream cheese, and sherry/soda until hot.

3. Transfer to crock pot and cook on low for 1 hr.  Serve over hot pasta.   

Homemade Lemonade

1 Cup fresh Lemon Juice (it usually takes about 4 lemons)
I Cup Sugar
8 Cups Water

I wish I had this cute container to put it in!

*If you want to make strawberry or raspberry lemonade put about a cup of the fruit in the blender then add to lemonade.

Where's my dinner ideas?

Was or was not the purpose of this blog to give me dinner ideas so I would stop calling Mom / Elise (even Ad if desperate--haha) every night? Just something to think about.

Great Pizza Dough

Elise--This is the best crust recipe we've ever tried, and it's very easy. Found it online: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001199.html . It made 3 medium size pizzas for us. I also didn't let it rest as long as it was supposed to, but it still turned out great.

Peter Reinhart's Napoletana Pizza Dough Recipe

Heidi notes: Peter's recipe says the olive (or vegetable oil) is optional. I use it every time - always olive oil, not vegetable oil. I love the moisture and suppleness it adds to the dough, and it makes your hands soft too.

4 1/2 cups (20.25 ounces) unbleached high-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 (.44 ounce) teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water, ice cold (40°F)
Semolina flour OR cornmeal for dusting

1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.

3. Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)

4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Now let rest for 2 hours.

5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

6. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.

7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.

8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.

9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts.

from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press) - reprinted with permission

T Food

This is my favorite recipe for stir-fry.  I found it in Mom's Better's Homes and Gardens cookbook.  It's a little different in mine though, but we made it work.  You could probably use any type of meat you wanted to as well.

1 lb. chicken
3 Tbs. Soy sauce
2 Tbs. Water
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I just had regular pepper though)
2-3 tsp. honey
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbs. cooking oil
garlic...it calls for 2 cloves but I just sprinkle what i think a good portion is on there...not very much
1 package of stir-fry vegetables....asparagus mix is my favorite to use...or you can actually cut up your own fresh vegetables...but it's so much easier the other way!
You can also mix in some cashews or peanuts if you want
2 cups cooked rice

Cut up your chicken into slices and set aside.  In a bowl, mix together: water soy sauce cornstarch, honey, brown sugar and pepper.  Set aside.
Pour oil into wok or pan, add your vegetables and nuts, sprinkle with garlic, and cook until vegetables are tender.  Then remove them from the wok
Add chicken to the wok and cook until done..3-4 min.  Return the vegetables to the wok, push contents to the outside of the pan, and pour in sauce to center of pan/wok.  Stir until thick and bubbly.  Mix it all together and serve over hot rice.

B FOOD

Zollinger Girls

Adrianne and I wanted to start a food blog for the Zollinger girls. Feel free to post any recipies you try an like, or old classics.

That's right I made this

When there is a plethera of recipies on here maybe, MAYBE I will share the recipie!