After cooking for company all day yesterday all I wanted to do last night was sit down and read a book. But my family still had to eat dinner, so I chose a very simple and quick recipe. I found this here.
Szechuan Chicken
10" dutch oven
1 lb chicken
1/4 cup cornstarch (I'm guessing here--may have been less)
1-2 Tbsp oil (I used olive oil but was thinking sesame oil might be good)
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
3-5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1-2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup water
3 diced green onions
dash of cayenne pepper (I used red pepper flakes)
Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and lightly coat with corn starch. Heat oil in a 10" dutch oven and add minced garlic. Add chicken and fry until all sides are white. Add soy sauce, vinegar and sprinkle with sugar. Add the water--more or less depending on how strong of a flavor you want and how runny you want the sauce. Add diced green onions and cayenne pepper. You can make it as spicy as you want. Serve with rice. Serves 4-6.
Sorry, I wasn't able to get a picture of this one!
The Review
This was good, but i't wasn't anything special. My family really liked it and there wasn't anything left after dinner. I'll make this again, but probably not too often. We gave this a B.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Day 246: Cheese Stuffed Focaccia
Sorry for the late post today. I had some unexpected, but very welcome company today. After cooking all day for guests, I'm exhausted and I still have to make dinner. So, I'm off to the kitchen! But I'll leave you with today's amazing recipe. It comes from yet another Taste of Home magazine.
Cheese Stuffed Focaccia
14" dutch oven
1 3/4 cup warm water
6 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. nonfat dry milk powder
6 Tbs. sugar
3 tsp. salt
6 cups flour
2 Tbs. active dry yeast
2 Tbs. olive oil
6-9 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese
1 1/2 Tbs. dried basil, divided
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
In a bowl, combine the water and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. add remaining ingredients and knead well. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 1 minute. Roll out half of the dough into a 14 inch circle (or a 15x10" rectangle if cooking indoors). Put dough in the DO and press it up the sides just a little. Brush with 1 Tbs. olive oil. Cover with provolone and mozzarella cheeses. Sprinkle cheeses with 1 Tbs. basil, the oregano, Rosemary, thyme an garlic. Roll out remaining dough into a 14" circle and lay on top of the cheese layer; pinch bottom and top layers together. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining basil. Bake at 400° using 2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned. Serves 8-10.
The Review
Holy Cow this was GOOD! This is a must try recipe! My family devoured it. I don't think there was even a crumb left over. The cheese layer was gooey and delicious and the herbs were wonderful. This is going in my tried and true file and it will make regular appearances on our table. Grade A.
Cheese Stuffed Focaccia
14" dutch oven
1 3/4 cup warm water
6 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. nonfat dry milk powder
6 Tbs. sugar
3 tsp. salt
6 cups flour
2 Tbs. active dry yeast
2 Tbs. olive oil
6-9 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese
1 1/2 Tbs. dried basil, divided
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
In a bowl, combine the water and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. add remaining ingredients and knead well. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 1 minute. Roll out half of the dough into a 14 inch circle (or a 15x10" rectangle if cooking indoors). Put dough in the DO and press it up the sides just a little. Brush with 1 Tbs. olive oil. Cover with provolone and mozzarella cheeses. Sprinkle cheeses with 1 Tbs. basil, the oregano, Rosemary, thyme an garlic. Roll out remaining dough into a 14" circle and lay on top of the cheese layer; pinch bottom and top layers together. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining basil. Bake at 400° using 2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned. Serves 8-10.
The Finished Product
The Review
Holy Cow this was GOOD! This is a must try recipe! My family devoured it. I don't think there was even a crumb left over. The cheese layer was gooey and delicious and the herbs were wonderful. This is going in my tried and true file and it will make regular appearances on our table. Grade A.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Day 245: Tomato Florentine Pasta Bake
I was really intrigued by the spices in this recipe, especially the cinnamon. I've added cinnamon to chili and some Middle Eastern dishes, but never to an Italian dish. I knew I had to try this just because of the cinnamon. This came from a Taste of Home magazine.
Tomato Florentine Pasta Bake
10" dutch oven
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 (15oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
In your dutch oven, cook the beef and onion over a full spread of coals. Drain if necessary and add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, oregano, sugar, cinnamon, garlic powder and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta until it is al dente; drain well. Combine the pasta, spinach and sauce and mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the pot. Spread ricotta evenly over the pasta and top with remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and it is heated through. Use 1 ring on the top and the bottom. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
The Review
The spices in this were really good. You could taste just a hint of cinnamon, but it blended really well with the garlic and red pepper. It would be hard to identify if you didn't know it was there. Except for the 1 spinach hater in my house, everyone really liked this. It was different and spicy and full of flavor. I served this with sourdough bread and salad. This was also very easy. I'll make this again. Grade A-.
Tomato Florentine Pasta Bake
10" dutch oven
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 (15oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
In your dutch oven, cook the beef and onion over a full spread of coals. Drain if necessary and add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, oregano, sugar, cinnamon, garlic powder and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta until it is al dente; drain well. Combine the pasta, spinach and sauce and mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the pot. Spread ricotta evenly over the pasta and top with remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and it is heated through. Use 1 ring on the top and the bottom. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
The Finished Product
The Review
The spices in this were really good. You could taste just a hint of cinnamon, but it blended really well with the garlic and red pepper. It would be hard to identify if you didn't know it was there. Except for the 1 spinach hater in my house, everyone really liked this. It was different and spicy and full of flavor. I served this with sourdough bread and salad. This was also very easy. I'll make this again. Grade A-.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day 244: Almond Crumble Twist
I've had this bread recipe for years, and I look at it all the time, but I've never made it until now. I was a little intimidated by the twist part of the recipe. It looks so complicated to make, but is really very easy. This came from a taste of home magazine.
Almond Crumble Twist
10" dutch oven
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped slivered almonds
1 loaf bread dough (Rhoade's works great)
Browned Butter Icing
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tbs. milk
1/4 tsp. almond extract
In a small bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in flour, almond extract and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in almonds. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Spray your work surface with nonstick cooking spray. Roll out the bread dough into a 15 in. x 10 in. rectangle. Cover with a towel and let rest while almond mixture is chilling.
Remove towel and sprinkle filling evenly over the dough within 1 inch of all edges. Roll up tightly, jelly roll style, starting with the long side. With a sharp serrated knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. Turn each half so the cut side is facing up. Carefully twist halves together so cut sides can be seen. Form into a ring and pinch the ends together. Place in your greased dutch oven. Cover and let rise 30-45 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, lightly brown butter in a small dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Do not burn. Remove from heat and blend in confectioners sugar, milk and almond extract until it is smooth. Drizzle over warm loaf.
The Review
Oooh! This was good! The almonds gave it a nice crunch, and it just had great flavor. Someone in my house kept sneaking little pieces until there was almost nothing left. I will definitely be making this again. I used homemade bread dough, but it would be really fast using frozen dough. I'm thinking this would be nice for a Sunday morning brunch. This gets an A.
Almond Crumble Twist
10" dutch oven
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped slivered almonds
1 loaf bread dough (Rhoade's works great)
Browned Butter Icing
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tbs. milk
1/4 tsp. almond extract
In a small bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in flour, almond extract and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in almonds. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Spray your work surface with nonstick cooking spray. Roll out the bread dough into a 15 in. x 10 in. rectangle. Cover with a towel and let rest while almond mixture is chilling.
Remove towel and sprinkle filling evenly over the dough within 1 inch of all edges. Roll up tightly, jelly roll style, starting with the long side. With a sharp serrated knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. Turn each half so the cut side is facing up. Carefully twist halves together so cut sides can be seen. Form into a ring and pinch the ends together. Place in your greased dutch oven. Cover and let rise 30-45 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, lightly brown butter in a small dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Do not burn. Remove from heat and blend in confectioners sugar, milk and almond extract until it is smooth. Drizzle over warm loaf.
The Finished Product
The Review
Oooh! This was good! The almonds gave it a nice crunch, and it just had great flavor. Someone in my house kept sneaking little pieces until there was almost nothing left. I will definitely be making this again. I used homemade bread dough, but it would be really fast using frozen dough. I'm thinking this would be nice for a Sunday morning brunch. This gets an A.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Day 243: Baked Rice
Today's recipe is one I made up when I needed an easy, simple side dish. And this is very simple. Its something I make when I don't have a lot of time or don't have a side dish planned.
Baked Rice
10" dutch oven
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
In an oiled dutch oven, combine the broth, rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender. Use 1 ring on the top and bottom. Sprinkle with cheese and replace lid to let the residual heat melt the cheese. Serves 4-6.
The Review
This was good. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was a nice simple side dish. When I serve an entree that has a lot of spices, I like to have a simple side. My family likes it, except the 2 kids that don't like rice. I don't make this often because there are other sides I like better, but this makes an appearance a couple of times a year. Grade B.
Baked Rice
10" dutch oven
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
In an oiled dutch oven, combine the broth, rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender. Use 1 ring on the top and bottom. Sprinkle with cheese and replace lid to let the residual heat melt the cheese. Serves 4-6.
The Finished Product
The Review
This was good. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was a nice simple side dish. When I serve an entree that has a lot of spices, I like to have a simple side. My family likes it, except the 2 kids that don't like rice. I don't make this often because there are other sides I like better, but this makes an appearance a couple of times a year. Grade B.
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