Monday, October 25, 2010

Move Over Main Dish, This Rice Dish Has Stolen the Show!

Sometimes there is a side dish that simply steals the show and must be considered!  That is precisely the situation with Low Country Rice, introduced by to me by Judy, my mother in law.  We love this with pork tenderloin, eye of the round, teriyaki chicken, salmon, tilapia.  So I guess with just about everything!  Be prepared there is quite a bit of real butter in this meal!!! 

MENU
Low Country Rice
Chicken Piccata
Broccoli




Cast of Contributing Characters:
JUDY:Todd and I are always "rolling into town", when we go visit his family.  His mother has made sure that every time we come, no matter how late, there is always a hot meal ready for us to consume!  This Low Country Rice recipe was presented to us with, I believe, fish as the main course.  It is perfect with so many things!

Giadi: Giadi, as in  the sultry cook on the FoodNetwork.   We are friends because of our aficionado to nutella..

Wood Elf aka Lisa:  Every time we have broccoli, we think of the wood elf, because she is the one individual who taught us to respect the vile weed.  Bring it on as your friend not your foe!

Low Country Rice
Ingredients
1/2 c melted  butter
2 c rice
1/2 t salt
4 c chicken broth
3/4 c dry white wine

Combine in casserole dish, cover.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 mins.  Stir after 30 minutes.
Take Rice out of the oven and add the following additional ingredients, and then bake for another 10 mins.:
juice of one orange
zest of one orange
2 T fresh parsley
1/2 c slivered almonds

Chicken Piccata: 
Everyday Italian Cookbook
4 skinless, boneless chicken cutlets-ask the butcher to help you with this
1/2 t course salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
Flour for dredging, about 3/4 cup
5 T olive oil
1/2 c unsalted butter
1/2 c chicken broth
1/3 c fresh lemon juice-about 2 lemons
1/4 c drained capers

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, turn and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.


Broccoli:
Two heads of fresh broccoli,
4 T butter
S & P
juice from 1/2 of a lemon

Steam broccoli until vibrant green.  Place in serving dish.  Add butter, S & P, lemon juice.  Toss and Serve.

Enjoy!





Sunday, October 17, 2010

Babysitter Meal

When Todd and I go out and we know we are bound to have an exceptional great time(like last night for Michelle's B-day Bash), I always want our children AND the babysitter to have a blast as well.  Honey(my mom) and Judy both served the main course of this meal to our children and they GOBBLED it up.

Babysitter Menu:
Pigs in a Blanket
Red Peppers with Ranch Dressing
Apples with Carmel Sauce

The critics' review was that the meal was super good!  Loved all the dipping!
Cast of Characters:
Honey-  My mom is always trying new things to appeal to our children's food palette.  Whether that be putting tortellini on skewers or serving pigs n' blanket with some nostalgia mixed in! 

Judy- Judy is a grandmother of 10 soon to be 1.  The grandchildren all under the age of 8!  When we are all together, she is always able to make mealtime an event filled with joy versus chaos.

PIGS IN A BLANKET-Honey and Judy
1 package of Hebrew National Hotdogs
2 package of Crescent Rolls

Cut hot dogs in half.  Unroll Crescent Rolls.  Separate into triangles.  Starting with the longest end, place 1/2 hotdog on dough and then roll.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown serve with ketchup and mustard.

Sliced Red Peppers with Ranch:
I would recommend using the Ranch that is made from the packet or even a  homemade version.

Apples with Carmel Sauce:
3 types of apples, cored and sliced.  We used Honeycrisp, Gala, and Golden Delicious

Carmel Sauce:
I got this recipe from COOKS.COM.  I substituted Corn Syrup for Honey.

1/2 c butter
2 c Light Brown Sugar
1/2 c Honey
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 T water
1 t vanilla

Cook all ingredients, except vanilla, over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and then stir in vanilla.

Serve with sliced apples.  We used three different types of apples so the children and babysitter could hold their own taste test!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Mid Missouri Meal

Yesterday we started talking about the possibility of going to the MU/KU game at Arrowhead Stadium !  We were so close to saying yes, but then realize the game was on at 11:00am and there was no way we could make it from St. Louis to Kansas City for kick-off-shucks. 

I was inspired to make one of my first pasta dishes sans red or cream sauce that I discovered while we lived in Columbia, Missouri.  

Mid Missouri Menu:
Columbia Pasta
Crusty Bread
Red Grapes
Wine Spritzers!

Cast of Contributing Characters,Cities:
Columbia: I had so many epicurean firsts in Columbia:  goat cheese, apple wood smoked bacon, olives stuffed with blue cheese, cosmos, hummus, sushi, pad thai, on and on and on!

Lake of the Ozarks: There is nothing like Lake life.  I believe it gives us a license to eat and drink without a hint of manners or protocol.  For instance, when we have the following spritzers at the Lake, they are served in old, tattered, white plastic cups with Mizzou's 1988 game scheduled printed on them.  There is no getting a fresh glass for each drink, we simply keep remixing and adding more limes!

Columbia Pasta:
Ingredients
7 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 T Balsamic Vinegar
Container of grape tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
Package of mushrooms, slice bottom of stems and then quarter.
Package of tender peas
4 oz of thinly sliced prosciutto-packaged or from the deli, cut prosciutto into 1/2 inch squares.
 2 t ground oregano
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 1/2  c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz Vermicelli Pasta or Angel Hair

Preheat oven to 450.  Place grape tomatoes on shallow baking sheet.  Toss with 3T Olive Oil, 3 T Balsamic Vinegar, dash of Kosher and a few twist of black pepper.  Place the tomatoes in the oven for about 25 mins.  Stir once, half-way through.  The skins of the tomatoes should be split.

When tomatoes go into the oven, place a pot of salted water on the stove top for the pasta.  Bring water to a boil.

Place large skillet on stove top.  Pour at least 4 T of olive oil in pan.  Heat oil on med-high heat.  Add prosciutto.  Heat until just crisp.  Add peas, mushrooms, S, P, and oregano.  Heat on med heat until peas and mushrooms are cooked through.

Add pasta to boiling water, cook for 3-4 mins.  Drain.  

Add prosciutto mixture and tomato mixture to pasta.  Toss.  Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Toss.  TASTE!  More olive oil may need to be added.  

Serve on with extra Parmesan cheese on top!

Wine Spritzers: Lake of the Ozarks
Inexpensive White Wine
Fresca
cut limes

Fill glass with crushed ice.  Pour glass 3/4 full of vino and then top with Fresca.  Stir. Squeeze lime into drink. Enjoy!



Monday, October 11, 2010

Cozy Monday Sydrome Food

When my husband and I were first married, we hated to see the weekend come to an end.  Mid-morning on Monday I could always expect a call with him stating that he had, "Monday Syndrome". With that in mind, I believe today calls for some exceptional cozy food!   BTW, he called this morning stating he had a case of "Monday Syndrome".

Cast of Characters contributing to this meal:
Shannon-one of my great sisters who taught me the word accouterments as it relates to food.  She found the recipe for this Potato Soup and our entire family has become OBSESSED with it.  We are all very thankful!  She is Look for her infamous Corn Souffle coming in November!

Judy- while Todd and I were in our betrothed stage, Judy's tennis friends had a sweet luncheon for us.  An incredible time-less Spinach Salad was served.  We eat this salad at least once a month.

Myself- I have been an avid reader of Cooking Light magazine for many, many years.  The problem is that by the time I have made the recipe for the 5th time, it can no longer be considered a Cooking Light recipe b/c of all the goodies I add!

Monday Syndrome Menu
Baked Potato Soup served with crumbled fried bacon
Spinach Salad
Chocolate Banana Bread

RECIPES
Shannon's Baked Potato Soup
4 cups chicken broth
5 cups yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/2 t seasoning salt
1/4 t white pepper
1/4 t ground red pepper
1 8oz package of cream cheese, cut in chunks

Combine potatoes, broth, onion, and spices in large stock pot.  Boil on med-high heat until potatoes are tender.  Do not over cook potatoes!  Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch.  This helps thicken the soup.  Reduce to low heat.  Add cream cheese.  Heat, stirring frequently with whisk, until cheese melts.

After placing potatoes in chicken broth mixture, start frying the bacon.  

Serve bacon, freshly grated cheddar cheese, green onions.

Judy's Spinach Salad
1 lb fresh spinach
1 cup fresh strawberries, quartered
3/4 c bean sprouts
1 c seedless grapes, green or red, halved

Dressing:
1 c canola oil
1/3 c white vinegar
1/2 c grated white onion-or less
3/4 c sugar
1 t salt
1 t Worcestershire sauce
Blend well with whisk and then toss a 1/4c at a time with salad mixture. 

PS  If you did NOT  want to make a spinach salad, serving the spinach as one of the accouterments is a great way to get your fresh green vegatable!!

Banana Bread

1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c ground flax seed
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
6 T butter, softened-not margarine
4 ripe bananas, smashed
2 eggs
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
1/4 c sour cream
                                         1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine flours, flax seed, baking soda, salt in medium bowl.  Stir with whisk.  Set aside.

Place sugar and butter in large bow.  Blend on med. speed until well blended.  Add banana, eggs, yogurt, and sour cream.  Mix just until moist.  Slowly add choc. chips.

If you would like to make this marbled, instead of adding choc. chips to batter,  melt choc. chips in microwave and then add 1 cup batter to melted choc.  Add 1/2 plain batter to bread  pan, then choc. batter, and then the rest of the plain batter. 

You can place batter in bread pan or muffin pan.  For bread, make for 60 -65 mins.  For muffins, 20-25 mins. 


Saturday, October 9, 2010

Fall Meal

We had the honor of hosting seven delightful KU students for dinner.  We were their dinner break while they attended the Navigators conference.

While we were deciding what to make for our guest, we tossed around a few ideas but landed on Chili because of the ease of preparation and the variety it can offer to each diner.

Cast of  Characters who contributed to this meal:
Judy-  Judy is one of my mothers that has greatly influenced how we prepare meals.  She is exceptional at pairing foods.

Mrs Carder-She was my grade school's chef!  Anyone who attended L & C Elementary School does not understand why anyone ever took their lunch in elementary school.  My mom and  Mrs. Carder got along splendidly , that is how the coveted Chili recipe was obtained!

Here is what was on the menu:
Appetizer: Judy Dip with Sugar Snap Peas and hearty crackers
Beverages offered: Fresca, Lemonade, Water and Coffee with Choc. Milk
Main Meal:   Mrs Carder's Chili and Vegetarian version
                    Sliced Honey Crisp apples
                    Pumpkin Bread

Dessert:  Brownie Sundaes with Real Whipped Cream

RECIPES
JUDY DIP
2 -8 oz packages of Cream Cheese-you can choose the variety.
4-5 beef boullion cubes, dissolved in 1/4c boiling hot water.
2-3 scallions/green onions, remove root and first outer layer.  Chop all the way to the green section.
Mix cream cheese and dissolved beef boullion with a mixer until it so very smooth.
Add a small handfull of scallions.  Mix for just a brief moment.  Place dip in container and sprinkle with more green onions.
Serve with sugar snap peas, red peppers, pita chips, hearty crackers.

Mrs. Carder's Chili-
2 lbs ground beef
2 pkgs of William's Chili mix
5 cans of Brooks chili beans( I buy some mild some hot)
1/2 can of Tomato Juice
3/4 c Ketchup
1/4 c Brown Sugar

In a large pasta pot, brown ground beef very slowly, breaking up the meat as it cooks.  When meat is completely cooked, drain fat.  Return meat to pan and turn stove to Med. Add once pkg of seasoning and stir until meat is covered.

In blender,  place 2 or 3 cans of beans.  Blend until almost smooth. Add to meat.  Add the rest of the beans.  You may want to drain the beans, depending on the consistency  you desire.  Add Tomato Juice, Ketchup, and Brown Sugar.  Cook over low heat for an hour.  Taste.  You may want to add more chili seasoning.

Variations:  Add Great Northern Beans, Black Beans, Pinto Beans.

Accoutrement: sliced avocado, sour cream, freshly shredded monterrey jack cheese and cheddar, Tabasco sauce, green onions, jalapenos, Fritos, and saltines.


Martha Stewart Super-Fudgy Brownies
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/super-fudgy-brownies
I believe all Brownies should be frosted!
Chocolate Icing
1 box SIFTED powdered sugar
2 T cocoa
6-8 T evaporated milk
3 T softened butter, not margarine!!

Mix sugar, cocoa, milk and butter until well blended.  Spread over slightly cooled brownies.