Day 32: Herb-Roasted Vegetables

Today was an absolutely spectacular day! We hit 45 degrees and the sun was bright and warming. I think this is the warmest day we've had since November. Now I officially have spring fever. The days are starting to get longer, the sun is shining...I can't wait for the warm weather!!! I love summer veggies, and I am looking forward to cooking them in my DO. One of the complaints I have about DO cookbooks is that most of the dishes are heavy. I've mentioned this before; but after a month of DO dinners I seriously need to hit the gym. So I am on the lookout for some healthier recipes. I have a few, and I am experimenting with them in the DO--trying to make them work. I'll post them as I get them ready. Today's recipe definitely fits in the healthy category. I wish I could take credit for making this one up, but alas, it is one I have had in my recipe collection for years and never tried until today.

Herb-Roasted Vegetables

14" dutch oven

1 24 oz. pkg. frozen California-blend vegetables

4 Tbs. olive oil

3/4 tsp. garlic salt

3/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. pepper

Put the frozen veggies in a single layer in your DO. Combine the oil and the spices; drizzle over the veggies and toss to coat. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until tender, stir occasionally.

I used 38 coals, 13 on bottom and 25 on top.

The Finished Product

Sorry the pics are so dark.

What I Learned

I finally found the temperature chart that I printed off the Internet back in December and I actually used it. It tells you how many coals to use for each size oven to reach various temps. It was a big help tonight. Most things can be cooked at 350 but for the ones that need different heat, this chart is really valuable. I'm glad I found it. I will try to post it on the sidebar of the blog (as soon as I figure out how).

The Review

Where has this dish been all my life? It was made to cook in a DO. Talk about great flavor. I almost needed a funnel to get it in my mouth fast enough. It was so easy, but the result is full of flavor. The spices are subtle so you can still taste the veggies. I can't say enough about how good this simple dish was. I am going to have the leftovers on a salad tomorrow. My mouth is watering already. Grade A+.

Day 31: Poppy Seed Chicken

I have to say, I overwhelmed by the response I have had to this blog. When I started I thought I would have my family and a few friends reading it. I never dreamed that so many people would be interested in what I'm doing. Thanks for every one's comments, I am learning a lot from all of you!

Today's recipe is my 7 year old daughter's favorite dinner. Whenever I ask her what she wants to eat, its poppy seed chicken. This recipe also comes from the Relief Society cookbook. It was served at a women's meeting at church, and it quickly became one of my favorites.

Poppy Seed Chicken

12" dutch oven

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut up in pieces

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup sour cream

1 cylinder of Ritz crackers, crushed

4 Tbs. melted butter

1 1/2 Tbs. poppy seeds

I cut each chicken breast in thirds, and fried it in my DO using about 25 coals. Then mix the chicken, sour cream and soup and put it in the DO. In a separate bowl, mix crackers, melted butter and poppy seeds; sprinkle over the chicken mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I used 8 coals on the bottom and 16 on the top.

The Finished Product

 
What I Learned

This is a really easy recipe. The only way to mess it up is to over heat it--which I did. Usually my problem is too little heat, but today it was too much. The gravy separated and was lumpy instead of creamy and smooth. Next time I will use fewer coals, maybe 14 on top, and it will be much better.

The Review

Even with the gravy separating, it still tasted good. I should have checked it sooner and I could have adjusted the heat better. It worked really well in the DO. I'll give this recipe an A-.

Day 30: Middle Eastern Chicken Casserole

I can't believe I have been doing this for a month. Other than it taking a lot of time, it hasn't been to bad--I would even say it has been fun! I have learned a ton! If I only did this on camping trips I would never have learned as much as I have. Consistency has been the key. I get to learn from yesterday's mistakes instead of trying to remember what I did wrong on last year's camping trip.
Many thanks to everyone for your comments on yesterday's biscuit attempt. It is really nice to feel like I am among friends. I have found a few other biscuit recipes that sound good, and I am in the process of trying them, and hopefully they will be successful. I do have one question for all of you out there in cyberspace, how long does it take for your biscuits to cook? The recipes all say 10-15 minutes, but for me it has translated into 30-40 minutes. Is that normal, or am I having more problems that I thought I was? Pipe up everyone--dish out your secrets--I certainly won't have any after all this is over! :)
Today's recipe is one I learned in a Middle Eastern cooking class I took last year. Talk about good food. I am combing the Internet for more recipes. Mediterranean cooking is just amazing. I have even learned to like feta cheese. Don't judge this recipe by the picture--please. The pic is terrible and doesn't do the dish justice. It is definitely worth trying.

Middle Eastern Chicken Casserole

12" dutch oven

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up

1 12 oz. pkg. medium egg noodles, drained

2 jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained

Parmesan cheese

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 small jar chopped pimentos, drained

salt and pepper to taste

sauce:

1 cup chicken broth

4 tbs. butter

4 Tbs. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

4 cups milk

I boiled the chicken in my DO then cooked the noodles in the same water. In your DO saute the onions and green peppers until tender; set aside. I used about 25 coals. In the same DO melt the butter, add the flour to make a roux; stir for one minute. (At this point I would remove some of the coals so the milk doesn't burn.) Add the broth and the milk. Stir until it thickens. This takes about 10 minutes, and it doesn't get really thick. Just cook it until you notice a difference in the consistency. If it gets too thick the whole dish is dry. Mix the noodles, veggies, pimentos, chicken and artichokes together in a bowl. When the sauce is thickened, add the noodle mixture to it and stir well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour. I used 10 coals on the bottom and 16 on top (it was cold outside). You will need to replenish the coals part way through.

The Finished Product

Seriously folks--the pic doesn't do this one justice.

What I Learned

This is the first dish that I have had to worry about replenishing the coals. I know--I'm a chicken. It was easy, I just had to plan ahead and have the coals ready on time. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

The Review

This was one of those dishes that called for the ingredients to be layered, and I would have done it in my kitchen, but it didn't change the result to mix it all together. I only used about a jar and a half of artichokes because I wasn't sure if my kids would like them. It turns out they did. This was really good. The flavor was unusual, but not weird. This will go into our meal rotation. Grade: B+

Day 29: Dutch Oven Biscuits

So my charcoal hunting expedition to Home Depot was a bust. They only carry Kingsford and Cowboy lump charcoal. I am going to have to make a few more stops next time I'm out.
As you can see by the title of today's post, I finally got up the nerve to try some biscuits in the DO. Cooking breads in the DO is very stressful--especially with all of you watching. I have been putting it off as long as possible. I have to say, it wasn't too bad. They weren't great, and I know I didn't have enough heat because they took to long to cook and didn't rise like they were supposed to. But I should at least get an "A" for effort, right!? I am going to spend all next week practicing my biscuits and at some point they will turn out well. I will post the pics so you can watch the progress :).

Dutch Oven Biscuits

12" dutch oven

2 cups flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

2 tsp. sugar

2/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening, then add the milk. Mix well. Roll out to about 3/4" thick and cut out biscuits. I used 26 coals with 8 on the bottom and 18 on top. The recipe says to cook for 10-12 minutes, but mine took longer.

The Finished Product

At least I didn't burn them! :)

What I Learned

These were more stressful than they should have been. I have totally psyched myself out. I keep telling myself that I'm just adding heat to food. It shouldn't be that hard. I think it is all in my head. I am going to make biscuits everyday until I get them right and find the perfect recipe. So stay tuned!

The Review

Well, I didn't burn them, and they were edible, so that is a plus. They didn't rise very high and they were a pretty dry, but I think that was a product of the long cooking time. They also didn't brown at all, which surprises me because of how long they cooked. Next time will be better. The first time is always the hardest! I am going to keep working on them until I get them right, so I won't grade these until I do.

Day 28: Baked Ziti

Today's post was supposed to be dutch oven biscuits. However, it was not to be. I mixed up the dough, cut out the biscuits and got ready to bake. I set up the coals with 7 on the bottom and 16 on the top and waited. After about 10 minutes I went to check them, and the coals had gone out. I was MAD! All my anxiety over cooking anything bread like, and the coals go out. I don't know what happened, I did everything exactly the same as always, there was no wind, and it was almost 40 degrees outside. I am not liking Kingsford charcoal right now. So I went online to do some charcoal research. Apparently, Kingsford has changed their formula and it doesn't work as well. According to Kingsford, it burns hotter and longer--I beg to differ. I was mad enough that I ran over to my local Walmart and picked up a bag of Sam's choice charcoal since I am giving Kingsford the silent treatment. Well, guess what? The Sam's choice started just as well, and burned just as long, but it did burn hotter. I didn't have the heat problems that I have had in the past. So today, I am making the 30 mile trek to Home Depot and I am going to experiment with every brand of charcoal they carry. My online research tells me that there are 2 brands that are the ones to try--Royal Oak and Wicked Good. I found Royal Oak lump coals at Walmart, but I am not ready to try those yet so I will try to find their briquettes, and I'm not sure Wicked Good is even available in Utah. I will let you know how my experiments turn out.
On to a happier subject--the recipe. This is just your standard baked ziti recipe. It calls for layering the ingredients, but in the interest of ease and since the result isn't that different, I mixed everything together in my DO and sprinkled the cheese on top. this would be a pretty easy camping recipe, and I think I will take it to Yellowstone this summer.

Baked Ziti

12" dutch oven

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 jar meatless spaghetti sauce

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. oregano

1 16 oz. pkg. ziti pasta, cooked and drained (I used penne)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In your DO brown the beef with the onion and garlic. I used about 25 coals. Drain any grease and stir in the spaghetti sauce chicken broth and oregano. Take away a few coals and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix the pasta 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan into the meat mixture. Stir well. Bake for 20 minutes using 8 coals on the bottom and 16 on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake 10 minutes more.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

I learned that there is alot to learn about charcoal. I am going to do some experimenting and see what works best, and I may even have to apologize to Kingsford brand after I try some of the others. I thought it was just me that was the problem with heat, but it may be partly the charcoal. I'll keep you posted.

The Review

This was your average baked ziti recipe. I got distracted and used to much ground beef and didn't add more sauce and broth, so mine was a little dry. If you followed the instructions it would be moist and delicious. It worked really well, and like I said, I will make this when we go camping this summer. Grade: B