Shrimp Pilaf

Ding ding ding, another winner! This came out so tasty and was pretty quick to throw together. It's one that I'll probably want to make again, so I'm writing down the "recipe" before I forget what I did.
-Amanda

1 bag of shrimp (is that a pound?)
3-4 strips of bacon (optional??)
6-8 asparagus
1/2 zucchini
4-6 button mushrooms
1 carrot
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup uncooked rice
uncooked spaghetti noodles (about the amount for one serving)
olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
broth (I used shrimp, but chicken would be fine)
splash of heavy cream
italian seasonings
curry powder

Cook rice. 1/2 cup of rice to 1 cup of water, salt and a glug of olive oil. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Set timer for 15 minutes. Bam.

In a large skillet start cooking diced bacon. While bacon is frying, cut asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. Dice zucchini, and carrot. Slice mushrooms. Mince garlic. Bacon should be about done. Add a few glugs of olive oil and all your vegetables. Stir occasionally. Add italian seasoning and about 1/4 tsp of curry powder. Break spaghetti noodles into 1/2 inchish pieces and add to vegetables. Keep stirring on medium heat. If anything starts to stick, throw some more olive oil in the skillet.

Meanwhile peel those dang shrimp. Keep the shells and stick them in your freezer for use on another day.  You don't have to do this, but if you don't you are throwing away potential free shrimp stock, just saying. (I  make stock when I have about a gallon size zip bag of shells ready to go.)

Vegetables should be cooked and starting to brown, rice should be just about done too. Deglaze the pan with some white wine vinegar. (or whatever vinegar you have on hand.)
Add shrimp to the skillet and stir it until almost cooked through. Add rice, about 1/2 cup of stock and a splash of heavy cream. Stir until shrimp is cooked through and the noodles are not crunchy. Enjoy!

Flank Steak with Asparagus Topping

I'm not sure what to even call this, but it was good! I'm sure a fancier lettuce would have elevated the dish, but this is called using the ingredients on hand. I was really craving THIS dish, but I did not have the right stuff. But it did get me thinking and it led me to this creation.
-Amanda

Flank Steak with Asparagus Topping

Flank or Skirt Steak
2 limes
2 cloves of garlic
splash of vinegar (I used rice wine, but red or apple cider would be fine.)
10-12 stalks of aspargus
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 tsp honey
olive oil

Mix 1 tsp honey, salt and pepper, half a lime and some olive oil (a tsp or two) in a small bowl and pour over flank steak. Either grill the steak or put it under a high broiler. I did the broiler for 7 minutes on one side and about 3 on the second side. Let it rest before cutting it across the grain.

Topping
Mince garlic and add to a small skillet. Cut asparagus in 1/4 inch pieces. Crush nuts and add them. Add a tbsp of olive or two and a splash of vinegar. Saute until asparagus has cooked for 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat and add feta, stir to melt it in. Taste and add salt as needed.

Make a side salad and serve steak on the side or on top of the lettuce. Top with the asparagus topping. I made a simple salad dressing that was the same as the steak marinade.

Fruit Pancakes and Fig Compote

I love fruit pancakes, and they are a great way to use fruit that is getting a little soft.  Right now in Turkey it is fig season.   Fresh figs should almost look too soft to eat.  Stay away from the firm ones.  The ones that are starting to split at the bottom and have a tiny glistening drop emerging from the star shaped fissure are perfectly ripe.  But, since they often get ripe all at the same time, you may have too many and they can get mushy on you.  While I love a soft fig, mushy is not my thing! Also in Turkey it is difficult to get maple syrup, so I am always looking for alternatives.
This morning made fig and peach pancakes with a fig compote.  For the pancakes, follow your own favorite recipe whatever that may be and throw in any fruit that is slightly soft. 
Fresh Fig Compote
1-1 1/2 cups of over-ripe figs (they are the sweetest)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4  cup of water
Roughly chop soft over-ripened figs, put in saucepan with lemon juice and water.  Boil down while pancakes are cooking.  If needed add more water, or boil down longer to desired consistency.  I like my chunky, but you could mash it if you would like it smoother. 
Drizzle anywhere you please…pancakes, yogurt, ice-cream—use your imagination!

-Jules

Garlic Butter Chicken Wings

I'm so excited these came out exactly like my mind pictured them when I decided to make this recipe. I'm sure you've heard me mention before how much my twin daughters (4.5 yrs old) love chicken wings. I usually make the balsamic wings and was afraid to deviate from that recipe, figuring it was the glaze that they liked and not necessarily the chicken wings. But they ate these up just as heartily as the others. The bonus is that these wings were a lot easier to make!
-Amanda

Garlic Butter Chicken Wings

20-24 wings and drummettes
2-3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup of olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic
sea salt
pepper
parsley
hot sauce (I put it on at the table, since my kids don't like spicy)

Grate or finely chop the garlic in a small sauce pan. Add the butter, salt, olive oil and pepper. Simmer on very low for 20-30 minutes. This mellows the garlic out. Pour over raw chicken wings and let marinade for at least an hour. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the marinaded chicken wings out where they are not touching. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Chop parsley. Put chicken wings in a serving bowl, pour the run-off pan juices on top and sprinkle the parsley on and toss. Enjoy!

BeeSting Panini

I came across this recipe while looking for some fun lunch ideas and it intrigued me enough that I had to make my own version of the sandwich. It's called a BeeSting Panini because it has honey and red pepper flakes. I love the salty/sweet/spicy combo of this sandwich, and I've already made two of them! I simplified down the original recipe which can be found on the Grilled Cheese Social Blog.

-Amanda

Bee Sting Panini

two slices of ciabata bread (or other crusty bread)
enough pepperoni to make a nice layer in your sandwich
a few slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
local, raw honey
4-5 basil leaves
butter
pinch of red pepper flakes

Drizzle honey on each side of your ciabata bread. Chiffonad your basil and put it down on top of the honey. Layer in pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.Close sandwich and spread outside of bread with butter. Sprinkle hot pepper flakes in the butter and grill in a panini press until bread is crispy and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Sour Cream Chicken

I know this photo isn't anything to write home about, but I've been really bad about taking any pictures of my recipes lately, which is why this blog hasn't gotten much attention lately! I've been very inspired by the many recipes that have paraded across Pinterest and this is my latest adaptation from a Pinterest recipe. It was called Sour Cream Chicken, but since I used seasonings that are found in ranch dressing it is almost like a "Ranch Chicken."

-Amanda

Sour Cream Chicken

8-10 chicken tenders
1 cup sour cream
1.5 cup bread crumbs
1 stick of butter
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dill
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp celery seed

Oil the bottom of a baking dish. Lay chicken tenders out in one layer across bottom of your baking dish. Then scoop out sour cream, dotting it around on top of the chicken. With the back of your spoon, smooth it out in one layer. Sprinkle spices and seasonings over the sour cream. I pulsed some bread in a food processor for fresh breadcrumbs, but either way, sprinkle them liberally over the cream cheese. Cut stick of butter into small squares and dot them all over the dish. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Sesame Ginger Salmon Pita Pockets

Yum. Ginger Sesame Salmon Pitas. I just signed up to be part of a 10 week personal development seminar (through Landmark Education) that starts at 5:30 and goes to 10:30pm (normally their seminars are from 7-10, but I'm actually being trained in a leadership role around the seminar and need to be there early. The center is about 30-40 minutes away so that puts me pretty much eating dinner in the car. In the past I would have probably gone through a drive through and grabbed a hamburger on the way to class. This time I'm committed to eating healthy homemade meals before class. Pita pockets are very handy at being portable so that is what I came up with to make before my first session. Let me tell you, last night as I drove and ate my pita pockets full of omega rich wild caught salmon, I felt really great about my choice and commitment to health! (Not that driving and eating at the same time are recommended, but I'm in a "make it work" situation.

Sesame Ginger Salmon Pita Pockets

*NOTE* Most of my recipes are close approximations. I rarely ever measure in my kitchen. This time, I really did just throw some stuff together, so please taste as you go to adjust to what makes sense for your taste buds. If it is too sour, add more sweet, if it is too sweet add more vinegar, etc. 

8-10 wild caught salmon
Marinade:
1.5 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp saracha or chili sauce
1 garlic clove, grated
2-3 tbsp Unrefined (and not toasted) Sesame oil

Marinade the fish for a few hours, not over night or the vinegar will *cook* the proteins in the fish and make it tough.

Heat grill pan to really hot, cook salmon until it flakes apart easily.

Asian Ginger Slaw

1/4 head of cabbage
1 carrot finely grated
1/8 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup Unrefined (and not toasted) Sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated ginger
pinch of salt

Shred cabbage and mix in grated carrot. In a separate bowl, mix the honey, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and salt. Pour over cabbage. Toss in sesame seeds. Let sit for a couple of hours so the vinegar has a chance to break down the cabbage.

Assemble pita pockets by stuffing with salmon and cabbage.

Chicken Stroganauff

Last night my mom and I were talking and she said something about making beef stroganauff for dinner. I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner too, and really needed to start something soon if dinner was going to be on the table at a decent hour. Luckily I had some chicken breasts thawed out, but no inspiration for them. When Mom said she was going to make beef stroganauff, that got my wheels turning. I wondered how the sauce we use would taste on chicken. So I used the stroganauff flavors of sour cream, dill and paprika as a launching point for this dinner. And since all four family members wanted seconds, I say it was a hit.

-Amanda

Chicken Stroganauff

3 chicken breasts
10-15 button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup white wine or chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
2-3 tsp dill (depending how much your palate likes)
1 tsp paprika

Slice mushrooms and mince garlic. In a large skillet, saute them in butter. While they are sauteing, cut chicken into bit size cubes. Add chicken and cook almost all the way through. Remove everything from the skillet to a bowl. Add wine or chicken stock to deglaze the pan. When most of the alcohol has cooked away or the chicken stock reduces, add heavy cream. Stir for about 10-15 minutes on high until cream thickens. Add dill, paprika, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and add chicken. Gently cook until chicken is cooked all the way through in the sauce. Do not boil the chicken or it will get tough. When chicken is just cooked through, remove from heat and add sour cream. Stir until incorporated. Serve with pasta, rice or just eat it by itself!

Chocolate Ganache Coconut Pie

If you like coconut and chocolate you will love this pie. It takes like a Mounds candy bar, except oh, so much better. It's really as easy as pie to make. Haha. But you'll have to forgive me because this is a "cooks" recipe. I'm not a baker and I don't do well with measuring. So realize that this pie was NOT measured, just a guess here and a taste there. But it'd be really hard to mess up, so dive in and please, don't forget to lick the bowl. I used coconut oil in the recipe, simply because coconut oil is really, really good for you. If you don't want to use coconut oil, then just use a bit extra butter in the crust and omit it in the ganache. No harm done.
-Amanda

Chocolate Ganache Coconut Pie

Crust:
2 cups of UNsweetened coconut flakes
4 tbsp of butter*
2 tbsp of coconut oil
drizzle of honey to taste (use local, raw honey!)

Filling:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
honey

*I used salted butter because the salt adds a bit to balance the sweetness. If you use unsalted butter you might add a pinch of sea salt to the crust. I actually added a tiny pinch extra to the crust anyway.

Spread coconut flakes on a cookie sheet and place in the middle of your oven. Broil on high, watching VERY closely. Stir a few times until nicely toasted. While coconut flakes are toasting, in a medium size bowl melt the butter and coconut oil in the microwave. (You can use the stovetop and transfer to a bowl also.)

Add coconut flakes to butter and coconut oil and stir until well moistened. Drizzle in a  very small amount of honey and taste. You want the crust slightly sweet, but not too much!!

Press coconut flakes into an ungreased pie plate, pushing them up the sides. Then drizzle a thin layer of honey on top of the coconut flakes.

In the same bowl (as to reduce the amount of dirty dishes!) Heat the heavy cream until warm to the touch, but not boiling. (Or again, use a pot and transfer to the bowl.) Add in chocolate chips and stir. At first it'll look like milk chocolate. Keep stirring, suddenly it'll get darker and glossy looking. Add vanilla.

Pour chocolate into the crust and refrigerate for at least two hours. Enjoy! This pie was rich enough that we cut it into about 16 pieces and everyone was satisfied!

Gyro Salad

I love gyro sandwiches and crave them every once in a while. I love lots of green flavors, but they are usually so strong that I only want them occasionally. Well, gyro meat is a creature all in itself and I don't think it'd be too easily recreated in the home kitchen, but I decided to use the main flavors of the dish and make a salad. I was going to make some soaked wheat pita bread, but well, I'm back on a low-carb kick today so I skipped the bread and just served up a salad. Okay, this looks complicated, but it literally took 15 minutes to cook! You can make the spice mixture ahead of time.
-Amanda

Gyro Salad

Meat:
1 lb of ground lamb (I got mine from Sloane Creek Farm.)
2 tbsp Greek Spice Mixture*
1/2 lemon

Spice Mixture*

1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Tzatziki Dressing:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt, strained to thicken
1/2 juice of a lemon
3/4 of a cucumber grated
1 tbsp fresh mint, minced
1 small garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

Salad:

Lettuce
feta cheese
cucumber
tomato
red onion
kalamative olives

Mix spices together. Use 2 tbsp and sprinkle on raw lamb meat. Squeeze in 1/2 a lemon. Mix well and let marinate in fridge for 1-2 hours. Saute in a pan on medium high heat until done. It was pretty greasy, so I just drained a bit of juice out when I scooped onto the salad.

While meat is cooking, mix up the tzatziki dressing and chop up vegetables for the salad.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Tonight was Menu Planning night for the week. But instead of going to the grocery store after the girls were in bed, I took an opportunity to go before dinner. But I didn't have anything planned or prepped and I walked in the house with all the groceries with t-minus 30 minutes until our very prompt 5:30 dinner. I walked in, popped 4 potatoes in our convection oven, quickly put away the groceries with hubby and whipped together a fast cheesy bechamel sauce to make this fast and tasty dinner.
-Amanda

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli stuffed Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
3 slices of bacon
2 tbsp flour
1.5 cups of milk
3-4 oz cheese
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 cup shredded leftover chicken

Bake your potatoes in a convection oven at 400 for 35 minutes (yeah, dinner was a bit late tonight.) Or you can microwave them. A regular oven you'd probably have to add another 10 minutes to the baking time.

Cut up bacon into thin strips and cook it in a small pot over medium high heat. Stir frequently until crispy. Remove the bacon but leave the grease. You need about 3 tbsp of grease, if you don't have enough add some butter or other oil. Sprinkle in flour and whisk for a few minutes. Add milk and continue to whisk until sauce starts to thicken. Add shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and remove from heat. Steam broccoli in another pot or in the microwave. In a small bowl, add shredded chicken, broccoli and enough cheese sauce to coat. Reserve the rest of the cheese sauce to pour on top of potatoes. Cut potatoes open, dallop with butter and salt. Smoosh in cheesy chicken broccoli. Pour extra sauce on top and then sprinkle reserved bacon. Enjoy!

Easy Cheese Bacon Chicken

File this recipe/idea under easy, fast and tasty! It was perfect for tonight where I didn't want to do anything super complicated. Took less than 10 minutes to assemble and then it cooked in the toaster oven for another 20 minutes, not even having to heat up the entire house with my big oven. Win/win!
-Amanda

Easy Cheesy Bacon Chicken

Chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into thin strips)
1 piece of bacon per chicken
1 slice of cheese (I used colby jack) per chicken
avocado

Salt and pepper each chicken breast. Wrap with bacon and place in a very hot skillet for about 3 minutes per side. If you are using an oven proof skillet, top each chicken with cheese and place in the oven to cook all the way through and cheese gets bubbly and browned at 350 for 20 minutes. I transferred my chicken to a small brownie pan (one layer of chicken) and cooked it in my toaster oven for the same heat and time. Serve with sliced avocado and homemade ranch dressing to dip!

What's for Dinner at My House: Sausage, Potato & Coleslaw

Yes, this is a bit (okay, more than a bit) carb heavy for a girl who is supposedly going low carb. I keep waffling on that. One day I'm low-carb, one day I'm moderate carb and the next I'm just "grain-free" but not actually low carbs. That's how I can justify potatoes, which are like one of my favorite food groups. (Potatoes should be their own food group, should they not?) Now, the loaf of white french bread hiding under the (nitrate free) sausage, slathered in homemade mayo? Yeah, um... no excuses for that lovely crunchy carb on my plate. The main thing for me is to try as hard as possible to stick with real food ingredients.

The coleslaw is a bigger portion than it looks, it's called perspective. I did NOT have three times as much as potatoes as cabbage... or maybe I did. Anyway, it's what we had for dinner and it hit the spot. By the way a few twists to mention: the coleslaw I used up the rest of the homemade Caesar Salad dressing I made the other night. The other twist is that the potatoes are the Salt & Vinegar recipe I tried out from Noble Pig's blog and man are they GOOD.

So... what's for dinner at your house?
-Amanda

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I made up this quick Sweet and Sour Chicken dish for my girls. I used a sweet and sour sauce recipe based off of Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist blog.  The girls loved it! I used a small skillet and only made up enough for their lunch. I should have double the batch because they licked their bowls and asked if they could have it for lunch again tomorrow.
-Amanda

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 chicken thigh (or breast)
1 tbsp arrowroot
2 tbsp coconut oil/lard
1 carrot
handful of peas
sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup (I used homemade)
1 tbsp of grade b maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger (not in original recipe)

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Place in a bowl and sprinkle arrowroot, salt and pepper and stir until well coated. Get oil hot in a skillet and then place the chicken in it, shaking off extra arrowroot powder. When browned on one side, flip over and cook the other side. When chicken is about halfway cooked, add vegetables and continue stirring. Add sauce and bring to a boil. The arrowroot powder will help thicken the sauce and have it cling to the vegetables and chicken.

Sausage and Cabbage Stew

I have to give credit to my friend Nicole Rice for this dish. I went over to her house the other day to pick up my latest buy from the meat buy club. (She works with a local rancher to get us grassfed beef, pasture chickens, eggs and more!)  Anyway, she was in her kitchen, like usual, and she was chopping cabbage and sausage and throwing it in a crockpot. She said she normally does the recipe in the oven, but she was trying it for the first time in a crockpot. I decided to go with the oven today, since I wanted to cook it faster than how the crockpot would do it. This also reminds me of a dish my mom made growing up. She'd do sausage and sauerkraut on the stove top. Mom's dish was more caramelized, this was more of a stew. I'm not sure what seasonings Nicole uses, I just took her method and ran with it. I loved this dish because it took less than 10 minutes to throw together. You do need to plan in advance since it needs to bake for at least an hour though.
-Amanda

Sausage and Cabbage Stew

1/2 head of cabbage
4-6 links of sausage or bratwurst
2 carrots
1 stick of butter
2-3 cups of homemade chicken stock
sprinkle of fennel
salt and pepper

Chop cabbage very fine and add to a oven proof casserole dish. (I used the stoneware baker from Pampered Chef.) Grate the carrots and add to the cabbage. Cut sausage into rounds and then brown it in a hot skillet. (You can skip the browning stage if you are in a hurry.) Add it to the cabbage. Cut the stick of butter up and place it around the casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and fennel. Add the chicken stock and cover. Bake for about 45 minutes covered at 375, and then 15 more uncovered. Enjoy!

Tequila Lime Salmon Packets

 

I was super excited to find wild caught salmon on sale for $6.99 a lb a couple of weeks ago at my grocery store. It often goes for double of that. I only wish I had bought double what I did! Even so, I still got quite a bit of salmon and so now it's time to eat it all up. Luckily it was frozen, so I just brought it home and stuck it back in my freezer and didn't have to worry about freezing thawed out pre-frozen fish. (If that makes sense!) Salmon is also one of my kids favorite proteins. I think because it is pink and they are three year old girls. Whatever, it's a super good for you protein so I'll take whatever the reason is! Cooking fish in packets is a very easy way to prepare fish, so give it a try if you have never done it before!
-Amanda

Tequila Lime Salmon Packets w/mixed vegetables

Tequila Lime Marinade:

(all measurements are close approximations and can be tweaked to your liking!)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
2-3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp tequila
1/2 cup olive oil

Vegetables:
2-3 carrots
1 zuchinni
2 handfuls of snow peas

Salmon:

4 filets


In a small bowl, grate the garlic and ginger. Add lime zest, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, tequila and olive oil. Whisk until mixed well. Taste and adjust, although it will be a bit strong because of the tequila. Pour in a small sauce pan and bring to a rapid boil for 15 minutes. Carefully (it's hot!) taste again, it should be more mellow. Adjust as needed. Set aside to cool down.


Cut carrot and zucchini into small sticks. Place in a small bowl along with the snow peas. Pour half of the marinade over the vegetables, cover and refrigerate.


Make packets about 1-2 hours before cooking. On a large sheet of parchment paper, place 1/4 of the vegetables in a pile, draining the marinade away. Place one salmon filet on top and season with salt and pepper. Add a bit of the marinade to the fish and rub it in. Seal the packet by crimping/folding all the way around. Do the same to the remaining 3 packets. Let marinade for 1-2 hours, no longer because the acid in the marinade will make the fish tough if you go too long.


Preheat oven to 400 and cook for 12-15 minutes. Before you cook the fish, press the fish gently with your thumb to see how much give is in the fish. After 12 minutes, press fish again through the packet with your fingers, it should be firm when done. Cook for a few minutes longer if it doesn't feel firm enough. Do not overcook or it will be dried out!

Chicken in Garlic Gravy

This was a very simple, quick and easy one pot meal to throw together. It would have been terrific over egg noddles, but leaving out the carb made it a one pot super quick meal. I used bacon drippings from breakfast to cook my vegetables and chicken in. If you don't have bacon grease leftover, you can either crisp up some bacon fresh, remove it and crumble it back into the dish for some extra wonderful taste, or use another fat of your choice. Coconut oil, non-hydrolyzed lard, or even olive oil would be good choices.
-Amanda

Chicken in a Garlic Gravy

2 chicken breasts
2 zuchinnis
10 button mushrooms
3-4 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
3-4 tbsp of bacon drippings

Dice garlic up into very small pieces and put in a skillet add about 2 tbsp of bacon drippings and cook the bacon on low. This gives garlic flavor to the fat. Meanwhile, cut the ends off your zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Then chop into one inch half slices. Cut mushrooms in fourths. Add zucchini and mushrooms to skillet and saute on med-high heat until they start to brown. While they are cooking, cut your chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Remove vegetables to a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Add chicken, add more bacon drippings if needed. Again, cooking on medium to med-high heat, cook the chicken until it is almost done all the way through. Remove to the bowl with the vegetables. Add thyme to the skillet that only has bacon drippins in it now. Add the flour and whisk quickly. When flour has cooked, add the heavy cream and stock and cook until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Add vegetables and chicken back to the sauce and cook for a few extra minutes until chicken is cooked all the way though. Serves 4.

Greek Chicken Wraps

Well these were really great, even if they were a bit kludged together. And by that, I mean instead of the cucumber I wanted to use, but didn't have, I used zucchini. And the olive jar that was in the door of the fridge ended up being jam instead. The jars look similar I guess and I didn't look close enough. I forgot that the garlic was going to be used raw and I was visiting while prepping the dressing so I used three cloves instead of one. I added a touch of honey to balance out the heat of the garlic. All this is to say that, do try this recipe because it really is good! (Even my two toddlers ate it!) And that feel free to sub as necessary, it seems to be pretty forgiving! And if you don't have any tortillas, make it a big salad.
-Amanda

Greek Chicken Wraps

2 chicken breasts
1 cucumber (or um... zuchinni as the case may be!)
handful of olives
2-3 oz fresh feta cheese
1/4 red onion sliced very thin
chopped lettuce
tortilla wraps

Dressing:

1 tbsp anchovy paste
1 clove of garlic, minced/mashed
zest of one lemon
juice from half a lemon
1/4 cup really good olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp of honey if needed
salt (careful, the anchovies are salty)
fresh cracked black pepper

Cut the chicken into scallopini. That is, when they are partially frozen (it is easier that way) take your knife and carefully cut down the thickness of the chicken to make thin big pieces. I did each breast twice this way resulting in 3 pieces of chicken from each breast. On a very hot grill pan, grill the chicken until cooked through and remove to a plate to cool.

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl and whisk well. Taste and adjust as necessary. Slice chicken into thin strips and add to the dressing bowl. Add sliced onion and thinly sliced cucumber. Crumble up the feta cheese and add olives. Cover and set in fridge for 1hr all the way up to 24 hours. Just before serving chop up some lettuce and put it in your tortilla. Add cold chicken mixture on top, wrap and serve!

What's For Dinner at My House: Nachos!

No recipe, but a quick and easy dinner idea. Homemade nachos really hit the spot for us tonight. I bought the corn chips, store bought tortilla chips are a treat for us lately, but when I do buy them I get the organic ones now because GMO corn is just scary. I topped them with some grass fed beef that I seasoned with a homemade taco seasoning blend of oregano, cilantro, chili powder and cumin with sauted onions and garlic too. Added in some of the roasted tomato salsa I just made and then whipped up a very quick "queso." The queso was basically a very thick bechamel sauce with lots of cheese! A dallop of sour cream on top and it was a yummy quick dinner. John added a bit of lettuce to his, but I went just ooey gooey tonight. The girls ate this UP.
-Amanda

Ham Zucchini Rolls

I really get a lot of my inspiration from Food Network. Ever since my teen years, I have been a Food Network junkie. At one time, I used to know the names of every single show on the network. I could name celebrity chefs like most people could name the top bands on the radio. These days, I don't keep up as much as I used to but I still watch a show at least every few days! One of my recent favorites is $10 Dinners by Melissa D'Arabia. One thing that I like about her is the fact that she has twins, just like me! While I don't agree with some of the cheap shortcuts she makes, for the most part I really get inspired by her dishes. For the most part she uses Real Food ingredients. If she'd get rid of the boxed stocks full of MSG that would go a long way!

The other day she made a stuffed endive dish that looked really enticing. I didn't have endive, which I think she mentioned is a winter vegetable, so I decided to try the dish with zucchini instead of endive. I know that zucchini tastes nothing like endive, but sometimes it's all about the cooking method and not the ingredients. This came out pretty good! I wish I had a bit more patience so that the cheese would have browned more on top, but it still was really tasty.
-Amanda

Ham Zucchini Rolls

Bechamel Sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
1 tsp dijon mustard
sea salt
1/4 freshly grated cheddar cheese

4 zucchinis
sliced cheddar for stuffing
4 pieces of shaved ham off the bone from the deli counter
1/2 cup grated cheddar for melting on top

Cut the ends off the zucchini and cut a slice lengthwise down each vegetable. Carefully squeeze slices of cheddar cheese in each zucchini. Wrap with a piece of ham and place in a baking dish.

Melt butter in a skillet. Add flour and whisk well. Cook the flour for a minute. Add milk and cream. Whisk in dijon mustard, salt and grated cheddar cheese. Boil to thicken. Pour over wrapped zuchini. Add remaining cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 15-20 minutes more.