Knorr sent me a package of their new “Homestyle Stock” this week, and they asked me to come up with a recipe using it. My first inclination was to make a soup, but it’s so hot out. Also, we were at my dad’s house when I was coming up with a plan. And how could I not take advantage of his grilling acumen? So instead of soup, I decided to make a marinade for some grilled chicken. We’re big fans of red curry paste, and Rockford loves pineapple in almost any configuration. Turns out the two flavors work very well together!
I think that pheasant is judging me. Sorry, bird, but your brethren was delicious.
Grilled Pineapple-Curry Chicken
Serves four; 4-6 hours marinating time + 25-30 minutes cooking time
1 container Knorr Homestyle Stock, chicken flavor 2 tablespoons red curry paste (or to taste) 1/2 cup coconut milk 1/2 cup pineapple juice 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Combine first four ingredients and mix until well-blended. Pour mixture over chicken breast halves and refrigerate for four to six hours. Grill over medium-high heat 12-15 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve over rice with pineapple-curry sauce and grilled pineapple slices.
Pineapple-Curry Sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons red curry paste (or to taste)
Juice from one 16oz can pineapple slices
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a sauce pan. Add curry paste; mash and stir until blended. Set aside 1/4 cup pineapple juice. Slowly add remaining juice, stirring frequently to blend. Make a slurry using withheld pineapple juice and cornstarch; add to curry mixture. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened.
Grilled Pineapple Slices
1 16oz can pineapple slices, drained (reserve juice for pineapple-curry sauce)
cinnamon
soy sauce
Place pineapple slices on a large piece of foil (large enough to totally enclose the pineapple). Sprinkle with cinnamon and soy sauce; fold foil into a packet. Grill over indirect heat 20-30 minutes.
The end result wasn’t spicy at all, but it had a nice warm curry flavor. Even Dad — who claims not to like curry — enjoyed it.
Now, the disclaimerish stuff: Knorr is going to be launching their Homestyle Stock next month at BlogHer. They’re going to be picking eight people who’ve submitted recipes to go to BlogHer for a cook-off, and then four of those people will become the “Knorr Four, an exclusive panel of bloggers who Knorr will look to for insight and expertise on recipe creation,” etc. So while I wasn’t compensated for this post, I was provided with a package of Knorr Homestyle Stock. And they might send me to BlogHer. The thought of which makes me rather nervous.
I noticed a few days ago that the bananas we bought last week were looking worse for the wear, so I told Pete that we should make some banana bread with them. Here’s something charming and also sometimes inconvenient about my children: They never forget anything. And so first thing this morning, Pete asked when we would be making the banana bread.
So I pulled out my Southern Living cookbook and went about gathering the ingredients. And then I found that I’d somehow run out of all-purpose flour, but I did have a ridiculous amount of whole-wheat flour. I don’t do very many on-the-fly ingredient swaps, so I had to ask the internet whether or not I could use one flour in exchange for another. The internet said that cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum says that’s OK, so long as you add some extra water. And so I ventured forth.
I guess that wheat swapperoo made me feel a little footloose and fancy-free, because I also decided we’d make muffins instead of a load and I starting monkeying around with the recipe. It started with a little cinnamon. And then I remembered that Alex’s grandmother had given us a bag of blueberries from her front yard, and that they were in the freezer! So I tossed in a cup of those, too!
I know! The wild night is calling!
Anyway, Pete mashed the bananas while admiring his strong muscles. Then he mixed the wet ingredients together while Poppy stirred the dry stuff, and then we put twelve large dollops of batter into my muffin pan. The rest of it went into some free-standing silicone muffin cups and then into the freezer. Once they’re frozen, I’ll put them into a freezer bag. And then when we’re in need of an easy muffin fix? I’ll pop them straight into the oven.
Now I’ll spend the rest of the day trying not to polish off what remains of the dozen we already baked, because they are crazy delicious.
Whole-Wheat Banana-Blueberry Muffins
based on Southern Living’s Banana-Nut Bread 2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup sugar*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Prepare muffin pan; set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in frozen blueberries. Make a well in the center of the center of the mixture.
Stir together mashed bananas, eggs, water and vanilla; add to dry ingredients, and stir until just moistened. Spoon into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 degrees to 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and let cool on wire racks.
*This seems like an excessive amount of sugar. I’d like to try to cut it or use something else, but I’m not sure what. Any ideas?
When our Thanksgiving hostess originally sent out my cooking assignment, she didn’t notice that one of the recipes had a box of stuffing in it. They’re a mostly gluten-free household, so I set about trying to find a replacement dish. (With prior approval, of course. I’m not about to unilaterally change the Thanksgiving menu.) I was watching the Thanksgiving episode of “Throwdown” while I was doing said thinking about side dishes, and Bobby Flay’s Brussels sprouts with pomegranates caught my eye. I’ve never actually eaten a Brussels sprout, but the dish looked so festive and sounded kind of tasty. So I emailed a link to Chloe and said, “How about this?” She got back to me pretty quickly to say the kids wouldn’t eat them but to make them anyway. Almost immediately afterward, her husband sent another reply saying, pretty simply, No Brussels Sprouts.
So I broke out the Mark Bittman and found a recipe for Rich Spinach Pie, which I turned into a rich spinach casserole. It looks pretty much like creamed spinach, but it doesn’t have any cream cheese in it. Which may or may not be a prerequisite for creamed spinach. I don’t know. I do know that it’s not much fun to pick through and de-stem 2 pounds of spinach. Which is why I encourage the use of child labor.
Rich Spinach Casserole
Adapted from “How to Cook Everything.” 2 pounds spinach, trimmed of thick stems and washed well
1 medium onion, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
black pepper
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I’m using a gluten-free bread)
2 tablespoons butter
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the spinach and onion and cook for about a minute, until the spinach wilts. Drain thoroughly and cook a bit, then squeeze out as much of the water you can and chop it.
Put the spinach and onion in a bowl with the garlic, cream, eggs and about half the Parmesan. Mix well, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the spinach into a greased casserole dish, then top with more Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Dot with butter. Bake until the mixture is hot and set and the top is brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
The green beans were much less work to process, so I didn’t enlist the children on this one. I parboiled the beans and then shocked them in some ice water, let them dry off and put them in a freezer bag. The bacon is in a separate bag within that bag, and the shallot-cider sauce is in a half-pint jar. I’ll warm it all up and toss it together just before eatin’ time tomorrow.
Green Beans with Shallots, Apple Cider and Bacon
from “Southern Living,” I think 2 quarts water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/4 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 slices applewood-smoked bacon
1/2 cup chopped shallots (about 4 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
In a Dutch oven, combine 2 quarts water and 1 tsp salt; bring to a boil. Add beans; cook 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in skillet. Add shallots and garlic; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Slowly add apple cider and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 2 minutes or until mixture has reduced to 2/3 cup. Add beans; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Crumble bacon; sprinkle bacon, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, parsley and black pepper over beans.
and then into the freezer. Once they’re frozen, I’ll put them into a freezer bag. And then when we’re in need of an easy muffin fix? I’ll pop them straight into the oven.
When our 