What’s Cookin’ Wednesday March 11, 2009

picture courtesy of allposters.com

This week I wanted to do a blast from the past as soon as I saw how pretty the peppers I was cooking looked.  I LOVE the colors.  So, at our house this evening we had Chicken Jambalaya.  The recipe is as follows.

Boil 2 chicken breasts in water (with pepper and Cajun seasoning) for one hour.

Then remove and plate the breasts and stick them in the freezer to cool.  Set aside the broth.

It took me about an hour to cut up all the fruit for the fruit salad and the peppers and onions for the Jambalaya, so at about five minutes before the chicken was done, I started sautéing  the vegetables (one red pepper, one yellow pepper, one green pepper, and one onion) in a skillet.

Aren’t peppers pretty?

Add Cajun seasoning to the peppers/onions as they cook and when the onions are translucent, add them to the set aside broth.  Pull the cooled chicken out of the freezer and tear into pieces, adding them to the broth as well.  Then add about 4 cups of brown rice.

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes and you have Chicken Jambalaya to serve approx. 7-8 people.

Served with fruit salad and a young coconut drink.  Yum!

Ara approved.

Note: New Recipe Tab November 20, 2008

In lieu of “What’s Cookin’ Wednesdays”, I have added a new recipe tab in the upper right corner of my blog.  I will do my best to rotate these recipes seasonally so check back often

-Jen

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday November 5, 2008

Well, I really need to go grocery shopping, so tonight is pretty boring.  We are going to have Spaghetti and I’ll make garlic bread for Paul and Ara and a side salad for me.

Tonight feels like it should be a comfort food night.  If I had the groceries, I would make turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Sigh.

What’s for dinner at your house?

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday October 22, 2008

Good Morning!  Around noon I am throwing together some beef stew in the crock pot and then cooking up some sweet potatoes about 60 minutes before dinner.  Here is the recipe I pulled from Allrecipes.com:

Candied Sweet Potatoes

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice

1. In a frying pan, melt the butter and brown sugar together until bubbly. Add the orange juice and stir until smooth. Add the cut-up sweet potatoes and cook slowly, turning occasionally until the sweet potatoes are caramelized, about 20 minutes. If syrup is too thin, add a bit more brown sugar.

Serves 5

What’s cookin’ at your house?

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday October 8, 2008

picture courtesy of allposters.com

Harvest Pie with Apple, Pears and Cranberries

from The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook, “Food to Live By”.

For the Pie-

Crust for a single crust pie (for those gluten free Mama’s like myself use a gluten free pie crust)

1 ripe Earthbound Farm organic pear, peeled and sliced (1/4 in. thick)

3 crisp Earthbound Farm organic apples, peeled and sliced (1/4 in. thick)

11/2 c. coarsely chopped fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries

1 tsp. finely grated lemon or orange zest or combination

2 Tbs. flour (or gf substitute)

1Tbs. cornstarch

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping-

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/3 c. flour (or gf substitute)

1/3 c. (packed) brown sugar

1/3 c. chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 c. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. Roll pastry dough into an 11 in. circle and place in a 9 in. pie plate, patting to fit. Trim or flute the crust around the edge of the pie plate. Transfer the crust to the refrigerator for 30 min.

2. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 375 F. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack.

3. To make the filling: place the apples, pears, cranberries, lemon zest, and orange zest into a large bowl and stir to combine.

4. Place the flour, cornstarch, sugar and nutmeg into a small bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle this mix on the fruit and toss to combine.

5. To make the topping: place the oats, flour, brown sugar, walnuts, ginger and nutmeg in a medium size bowl. Using your fingers, blend the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

6. Place the fruit filling in the pie crust and cover the filling with the struesel topping. Do not pack down the toppin.

7. Place the pie on the baking sheet in the oven. Bake the pie until the juices start to seep and bubble along the edges and the topping is golden brown, 50-60 min. Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack before serving, at least 20 min.

Serves 8

Great with Ice Cream!

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday October 1, 2008

Picture Courtesy of Allposters.com

Monday night we had a rotisserie chicken and the leftover meat was shredded for tonight’s Pomegranate Chicken Salad.  I’ve made chicken salad with cranberries before so tonight we will see if it is just as good with pomegranate. I am also going to throw in some crushed almonds.  I haven’t decided on the side dish yet.  It is a cooler day so I am leaning towards soup or grilled veggies but I had originally bought a cantelope for tonight so I may do that too.

What’s for dinner at your house?

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday September 24, 2008

picture courtesy of allposters.com

Tonight I am making chicken and wild rice with grilled squash.  I tried this recipe for grilled squash last Sunday for small group and it was fantastic.  I hesitate to even call this a recipe because it only has two ingredients: sliced squash and Italian dressing.  Soak the squash in the dressing for about 5 minutes and then toss into a large skillet to cook until tender.  Yum!

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday September 17, 2008

picture courtesy of allprints.com

I am at a dilemma this morning.  I can’t decide between two dishes.  One is roasted garlic chicken with baked potatoes and carrots and the other is spicy shrimp pasta.  I am not positive the chicken will be thawed in time for dinner this evening since I just transfered it from the freezer so I may default to the shrimp pasta even though we had pasta (spaghetti with meatballs) last night.   Hmm… anyone know a great way to defrost a whole chicken without using a microwave or letting it just sit out?

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday September 10, 2008

picture courtesy of allposters.com

Since we’ve been out of town for a week and I make a point of grocery shopping on Thursdays to get 10.00 off at a local grocery chain, the cupboards are bare.  Using what’s left in the pantry, I am going to throw together some grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight.

Today is actually the perfect day for such a meal as it is cloudy and chilly and feels like Autumn is on its way!  Ara and I ate warm maple oatmeal on the back porch this morning bundled up in jackets and a blanket.

Such weather begs the question, “What is your favorite Autumn meal?”

What’s Cookin’ Wednesday August 13, 2008

picture courtesy of allposters.com

Vegetable Beef Soup

From Meal Planning Made Easy by Shari Graham

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

3 1/2 c. water

1 pkg. mixed frozen veggies

1 can diced tomatoes 10 oz.

1 tsp. beef bullion or 1 cube

1 tsp. of pepper

spices to taste

NOTE: I OMITTED 1/2 CUP OF CELERY

Cook beef and transfer to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours in the slow cooker.

NOTE: SLOW COOKERS ARE MY FRIEND ON CHURCH NIGHTS.

What’s cookin’ in your kitchen?