Category Archives: recipes

I had fun with this week's menu

10/27/2008 Nichole

Because I make my menu plans on Saturday, I don’t generally post the weekend’s meals here. Rest assured, though, that we do eat on the weekends. (Boy, do we eat on the weekends.) Yesterday, for example, we tried a new recipe that I really liked. So much so that I thought I’d share it with you.

Sunday: Double Chicken Dumpling Stoup
Something about Rachael Ray’s manner bugs me, so I don’t watch her show(s). But I’ve yet to try one of her recipes that I don’t like. This one is no exception. You’ll find a slightly altered version of Ray’s recipe at the bottom of this post.

Monday: Polynesian pulled pork sandwiches
Mondays have become our busiest night, so I’m trying to use the slow cooker as much as possible. This is a new recipe for us. It’s from a Sandra Lee slow cooker book.. I don’t think I’ve tried any of her recipes before, so I’m hoping it’s decent.

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Sesame chicken strips with soba noodles
Several years ago, the person who drew my name in the Christmas gift exchange at work gave me a “Minute Meals” cookbook. I haven’t made many dishes from it, but it was still the most thought anyone had ever put into an at-work Christmas gift for me. This recipe comes from that book.

Thursday: Chimichangas
The filling is in the freezer. Hooray for the freezer!

Friday: Pepperoni pizza

Rachael Ray’s Double Chicken Dumpling Stoup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 fresh bay leaf
Salt and black pepper pepper
8 or 9 cups chicken broth
1 pound ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs (a couple of generous handfuls)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 1-pound package gnocchi
1 cup frozen peas
Crusty bread, for dunking

In a soup pot, heat olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the celery, onions, carrots and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, cover the pot and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Stir in the egg, bread crumbs, cheese and garlic. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized meatballs (you’ll have about 40) and add to the stoup. Simmer for about 10 minutes while you wash up. Add the gnocchi to the stoup and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the peas and parsley and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the stoup from the heat, discard the bay leaf and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with the bread.

recipes

How Rockford gets his apple a day

10/04/2008 Nichole

When Rockford was a wee lad, anything that met with his approval earned the title “Apple Juice.” He carried around his apple juice blankie, and he snuggled with his apple juice mommy. His passion wasn’t reserved just for juice, though. Rockford has always loved all things apple.

For the last several years, Rockford has been working to perfect his apple cake recipe. Most of his efforts were tasty, but he never produced the same cake twice. Which made it tough to call it his “signature” dessert.

Today he announced that it was time to make another apple cake. And this time? We wrote down what went in to it. And I’m so glad we did. There was some debate as to whether it’s a cake or a pudding, but my, is this a tasty thing. It does have certain similarities to persimmon pudding in terms of consistency, but I’m calling it a cake anyway.

Rockford’s Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

2 large apples, peeled and sliced thin
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, separated
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup chilled applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together 1 stick of butter and half a cup of brown sugar. Spread over bottom of 8-inch round cake pan. Arrange apple slices in circles on top of the sugar mixture. Set aside.

Cream together remaining stick of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar. Add chilled applesauce, stirring until combined. Mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla. Dollop onto apples and spread evenly, taking care not to move the apples too much. (It’s thick batter; go easy on yourself it the apples move.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Allow cake to cool on a rack for five minutes or so, then flip it out onto a cake plate. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream*. This is also delicious eaten straight from the cake plate with a fork around 1am. Or so I’d imagine.

*I tried to make a chai-spiced whipped cream, but it didn’t work all that well. Next time, I’ll do the chai infusion far enough in advance to let the cream chill thoroughly before trying to whip it.

recipes

A season for soup

09/25/2008 Nichole

I love a good chicken tortilla soup. So when I saw a recipe for chicken taco soup, I thought I’d probably like it, too. I didn’t have everything the recipe called for, so I sort of winged it. My version didn’t exactly scream “taco,” but it did taste good. It has a nice kick, making it a great welcome-to-fall soup.

The most amazing part? Poppy tried it! And she said she loved it! I don’t know that that’s true, though, seeing as all she did was lick the spoon four or five times. But still! She tried it! That’s a win in my book.

Chicken Taco Soup
1 can diced tomatoes w/green chilies
1 can whole-kernal corn
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chili beans (mild)
1lb chicken tenders
2tbl taco seasoning
4oz pepper jack cheese, shredded

optional:
sour cream
shredded cheese
tortilla chips

Pour tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce and chili beans into a slow cooker crock. Stir in taco seasoning. Add chicken, pushing it down to make sure it’s covered. Cook on low 4 and a half hours or so. Shred chicken, and stir in pepper jack cheese. Cook until cheese melts. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips.