Why is this week short? Because we're going to a baseball game Friday night. Our supper will be courtesy of the of Mike's employer via the stadium. Gotta love free food!
So what have we been eating? I've tried some new recipes here and there. One winner was Grilled Honey Lime Chicken that came from one of the cookbooks that Mike gave me for my birthday. I'll be posting it after the menu plan. Another honey chicken grilled dinner that was a winner was: Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs. While Mike enjoyed that one more than I did, it was still pretty good. Oh, and I made my first Chimichurri sauce this last week. Argentinian in essence, it really goes with a grilled beef steak (which is how we used it). But I can see it used in a numerous ways, including on fish. If you've got herbs out in your garden, give it a whirl! The recipe I used can be found here.
Monday: Zippy Summer Shrimp, Grilled Red Potatoes, & Salad
Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken, Rice Pilaf, and Dilled Peas
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes, Oven Fries, Veggies & Dip
Thursday: Hoisin Pork Stir Fry and Egg Rolls
Friday: Kernels Game!
and here is the recipe for the Honey Lime Chicken
from More Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño pepper
Mix together lime juice, olive oil, honey, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeno pepper. Place chicken breasts in freezer bag. Pour marinade over chicken breasts. Freeze.
On Serving Day. Thaw chicken completely. Grill over medium heat until chicken is tender and juices run clear. Great on salad or in a southwestern wrap!
Showing posts with label Poultry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poultry. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sunday, November 14, 2010
A Chicken Lasagna
Yes, I made a chicken lasagna and here's warning - if you don't do "scratch" cooking then this one is not for you. :)
I've been working on clearing out some of the recesses of our freezers (yes, plural), because soon we'll be gifted with some organic, grass-fed beef from my parents. Yay! In the upstairs freezer, I found a well wrapped package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Late summer I bought a big package of chicken thighs and "processed" them myself. I'm not sure I saved too much money but I felt like I did.
So, what to do with these chicken thighs? I decided to make Italian sausage with them and then to put the sausage into a lasagna. Here's how I did it. I ground them with my Kitchen Aid grinder attachment (works great!). You could probably also pulse them in a food processor. I would not recommend a blender.
To the ground chicken (roughly 1 1/3 pounds), I added:
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp crushed red pepper (I made my own this year!) - you can use more if you like it spicier.
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp of brown sugar (I like the bit of sweetness it added along with the browner color it gave the browned chicken)
Then, I browned the chicken sausage up real well. Added some basil garlic tomato sauce (canned from this year's garden) - I'd say use your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce. Simmer for at least 10 minutes. This was the red sauce for the lasagna. Now, I didn't have any ricotta so I decided to make a Mornay (a bechamel sauce with cheese) sauce. Here's how I did that:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
roughly 2 1/2 cups milk
2 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, stir in the garlic and onion powders. Add the flour and cook for couple of minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, adjust how much milk you use according to how thick or thin you want your sauce. Stir in the cheeses - season with salt and pepper to your tastes.
Now, assemble your lasagna! I really like those no bake Barilla lasagna sheets. I used six of them (about half a package). In an 9x9 pan, put a dollop of red sauce on the bottom, then two lasagna sheets, then a third of the red sauce, 1 third of the Mornay sauce, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Repeat. Save just enough red sauce and white sauce to keep the top of the last sheets, well covered. The pile on the mozzarella and add a little grated Romano too.
Bake in a 375 degree oven, covered tightly with aluminum foil for 45 minutes. Uncover, and let cook another 10 minutes to give the top a little color. Allow to cool down for about 10 minutes, cut and serve! This is a great sized lasagna for our family and the kids all loved it!
This one is truly from scratch. My husband says I spoil him and I guess I probably do! Please give making your own bulk sausage a try - it is so easy, you probably have many of the spices already on hand and you'll avoid the addition of many additives (i.e. msg). Google what ever sausage you want to make along with the terms "spice" and "recipes" and you'll be well on you way.
I've been working on clearing out some of the recesses of our freezers (yes, plural), because soon we'll be gifted with some organic, grass-fed beef from my parents. Yay! In the upstairs freezer, I found a well wrapped package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Late summer I bought a big package of chicken thighs and "processed" them myself. I'm not sure I saved too much money but I felt like I did.
So, what to do with these chicken thighs? I decided to make Italian sausage with them and then to put the sausage into a lasagna. Here's how I did it. I ground them with my Kitchen Aid grinder attachment (works great!). You could probably also pulse them in a food processor. I would not recommend a blender.
To the ground chicken (roughly 1 1/3 pounds), I added:
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp crushed red pepper (I made my own this year!) - you can use more if you like it spicier.
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp of brown sugar (I like the bit of sweetness it added along with the browner color it gave the browned chicken)
Then, I browned the chicken sausage up real well. Added some basil garlic tomato sauce (canned from this year's garden) - I'd say use your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce. Simmer for at least 10 minutes. This was the red sauce for the lasagna. Now, I didn't have any ricotta so I decided to make a Mornay (a bechamel sauce with cheese) sauce. Here's how I did that:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
roughly 2 1/2 cups milk
2 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, stir in the garlic and onion powders. Add the flour and cook for couple of minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, adjust how much milk you use according to how thick or thin you want your sauce. Stir in the cheeses - season with salt and pepper to your tastes.
Now, assemble your lasagna! I really like those no bake Barilla lasagna sheets. I used six of them (about half a package). In an 9x9 pan, put a dollop of red sauce on the bottom, then two lasagna sheets, then a third of the red sauce, 1 third of the Mornay sauce, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Repeat. Save just enough red sauce and white sauce to keep the top of the last sheets, well covered. The pile on the mozzarella and add a little grated Romano too.
Bake in a 375 degree oven, covered tightly with aluminum foil for 45 minutes. Uncover, and let cook another 10 minutes to give the top a little color. Allow to cool down for about 10 minutes, cut and serve! This is a great sized lasagna for our family and the kids all loved it!
This one is truly from scratch. My husband says I spoil him and I guess I probably do! Please give making your own bulk sausage a try - it is so easy, you probably have many of the spices already on hand and you'll avoid the addition of many additives (i.e. msg). Google what ever sausage you want to make along with the terms "spice" and "recipes" and you'll be well on you way.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Here it is, the famous soup recipe. Well, famous in our house at least. lol I've also decided to include the price break-out just to see how much this costs. I think it is interesting to do that when I can...
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
1 medium onion, chopped - .60
3 cloves garlic, minced - .05
1 4 oz. can diced chilis or 2 fresh Anaheim peppers -1.00
1 Tbsp cumin - .20
2 Tbsp cooking oil - .10
1-1/2 cups corn - .44
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes - .44
4 cups chicken broth (made from chicken soup base) - .15
1 1/2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken - 1.00
1 1/2 cups black beans (pressure cooked from dry) - .20
1/2 cup snipped cilantro - FREE from my garden (you can leave out if you don't like)
1 lime juiced -.30
2 cups coarsely crushed tortilla chips - .50
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese - 1.00
Sour cream (optional)
Meal total: 5.98 (and there is usually leftovers from our family of 2 adults and 3 small children)
In a large pot, cook chopped onion, garlic, peppers, and cumin in hot oil about 5 minutes or till tender, stirring constantly. Add corn kernels, tomatoes, chicken broth, shredded chicken, black beans, cilantro. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls, top with crushed tortilla chips & cheese. If desired, add a dollop of sour cream.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The ULTIMATE Turkey Brine
This one is a winner folks. Your crew will be oohhhing and ahhhhing over this turkey. If they like ham that is....
Smokey Turkey Brine (from my mom's kitchen)
3 quarts water
3 cups sugar
2 cups Tender Quick (a Morton's product)
12 bay leaves
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
Enough for a 10 to 16 pound turkey. Mix all ingredients and pour over a turkey in a large container and place in the refrigerator for 48 hours. If you do not have room in your fridge, place the turkey and brine in an appropriately sized cooler and place in the garage. Fill gallon sized plastic storage bags with ice cubes and place on top of the turkey. Replace ice as needed. You'll probably need to flip your turkey if it is not submerged completely in either method.
Smokey Turkey Brine (from my mom's kitchen)
3 quarts water
3 cups sugar
2 cups Tender Quick (a Morton's product)
12 bay leaves
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
Enough for a 10 to 16 pound turkey. Mix all ingredients and pour over a turkey in a large container and place in the refrigerator for 48 hours. If you do not have room in your fridge, place the turkey and brine in an appropriately sized cooler and place in the garage. Fill gallon sized plastic storage bags with ice cubes and place on top of the turkey. Replace ice as needed. You'll probably need to flip your turkey if it is not submerged completely in either method.
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