Fried Chicken Tenders

If you eat meat, you like fried chicken.  It's true.  And if you comment and tell me you don't, I will just call you a liar, so don't bother.

This is an easy, quick fried chicken.  It makes little mess, since you don't need as much oil as you would if you were using bone-in chicken pieces.  My measurements are ballpark figures and can be adjusted to suit your own tastes.  I always err on the side of too much breading mix, and that is reflected here.

Meat just isn't that pretty in pictures.  But there it is, anyway.

Fried Chicken Tenders

1-2 lbs. chicken tenders, depending on how many you want to eat

Breading mix:
1 c. flour (any kind is fine)
1/2 c. bread crumbs (mine were wheat, but any kind would work, even Italian if you wanted that)
a generous shake or 5 of garlic powder
pepper to taste
a few shakes of season salt if you want

vegetable oil

In a ziploc (because we're working smart), combine the ingredients for the breading mix.  Close the bag and shake it to combine.  Open your chicken package(s) and rinse the chicken with water and just throw them in there.  Close again and shake to coat.  Let it just sit there on the counter for 5 or 10 minutes.

In a large frying pan, pour oil so that it will go about half-way up the side of your fattest piece of chicken.  That is probably only about 1/2 inch or so.  Heat your oil up on medium-high heat.  It's ready when you sprinkle some water in there and it sizzles like crazy.  This should take about 5 minutes or so, to be good and hot.  What makes for gross, greasy chicken?  Oil that isn't hot enough.

Once the oil is ready, add the chicken one piece at a time, shaking off excess breading.  Don't crowd them in the pan or they will steam instead of getting crunchy on the outside.  You might have to do two batches; you'll use the same oil.  Depending on the thickness of the chicken, it could take 3-5 minutes per side.  You can pull one out and cut it to check it.  Mine took about 3 minutes on each side for the ones that I didn't let get real crispy because I was impatient.  It was about 4 minutes for each side for the ones that were nice and brown.  It's up to you.

Since you're the cook and you cut one open to make sure it's done, you can eat that one.  Does it need salt?  If it needs it, sprinkle a little salt over the top of the plate of cooked chicken.  This is good hot, but is also good cold.  Mmmm.... If you've never had cold fried chicken, you should start.

Eggplant/Zucchini Parmesan

Before I started this blog, I used to post recipes in the "notes" section on FB.  Here's an oldie, but goodie.

I started with one of those horribly overgrown zucchinis and an eggplant.  They were organic, so I did not peel them.  Peeling is optional.  The eggplant has a slightly thicker skin.  It just depends what you like.

Slice into rounds of uniform thickness.  Mine were probably about 1/4 inch thick.  Maybe 1/3.

I had A LOT of vegs so I beat 4 eggs in a bowl for dipping.

In a 13x9 I mixed about 1 cup. flour, 1/2 c. (at least) parmesan cheese, garlic (probably a couple tsp. because I like garlic), and some pepper.

Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan.

Dip the pieces of eggplant into the egg, then into the flour mixture.  When you have enough coated to fill your pan, fry 'em up.  You are just browning them, not cooking them through.  Maybe one minute each side?  If that.

Drain on paper towels.

For my giant family, I greased a 15x9 casserole.  Put a smidge of your favorite tomato sauce in the bottom.  Layer with cooked eggplant/zucchini.  Top with cheese (I used sliced provolone; it's what I had, and I am a GENIUS for it).  Continue layers, ending with a sauce layer.  Then, because we are gluttonous and I only make this dish once a year, I topped it with more cheese.  Parmesan this time.

Cover with foil and bake.  I did mine at 350 for about 30-40 minutes.

Ta-da!

Come to the Dark Side

I am trying really hard to like dark meat.  I thought I would start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, because they are easy, and they were on sale.  This is actually supposed to be a beef recipe (hence the beef broth, and not chicken) but I have a cold and I was confused.  It happens.

The chicken cooked very nicely and fell apart, which is always lovely.  Be careful that you don't overcook your broccoli, because that's just gross.  The original recipe called for thawing the broccoli first, but I don't see why that's necessary.  Plus, it would affect the texture, I think.

I served this with some brown rice, and a smile.

Asian Chicken and Broccoli in the Crockpot
adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 c. beef broth
1/3 c. soy sauce
2-4 cloves garlic or 1 tbsp garlic powder
1 onion, chopped
pepper to taste
1 tbsp. brown sugar
16 oz. bag frozen broccoli (you know, or more; it's your dinner)
2 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Chop chicken into 1"-ish cubes.  Combine broth and soy sauce in slow cooker.  Add chicken, garlic, and onion.  Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.  One-half to one hour before this is done, combine the water and cornstarch and stir it into the pot.  Add the broccoli at this point, as well.  Add pepper to taste.


I would make this again, because it's freakishly easy.  And I LOVE that.  It definitely needs something.  I think next time I will add some honey and ginger, at the very least.  But I didn't hate it, so that's a win!  Everyone else in the house really, really liked it.

Turkey & Lentil Chili

So my kids suddenly think they hate beans.  And this makes me so sad, because beans are (a) cheap, (b) good for you, and (c) pretty tasty.

I thought I would try lentils.  I mean, they cook to mush if you let 'em and they fit all the bean criteria listed above.  Plus, I had this ground turkey and needed to do something with it.  Hub won't eat meatloaf (I know, right!?) and it was only a pound so not enough for really much else anyway.  Have I told you that there are a lot of us?

Turkey & Lentil Chili
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 lb. ground turkey
1 32 oz. box chicken broth
2 c. lentils, rinsed (I used red but any kind would work)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 medium onion, chopped
3 or 4 stalks of celery, chopped
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
pepper to taste

Brown the meat with onions and celery in a skillet.  Toss mixture into crock pot.  Add rinsed lentils and remaining ingredients.  Cook on low for about 6 hours.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

You really don't need any salt here since you're using canned broth and canned tomatoes.  But I suppose if you want, you could add some salt at the end.  Just taste it first.

This went over way better than chili with beans.  It was more soupy than stew-like, and I have adjusted the broth amount accordingly so that you might avoid that problem.

Tortellini with Asiago and Bacon

Yes, I did say bacon.

Now that I have your attention, this is one of the best things we've ever had at our house.  I would've payed $10 for a plate of this at a restaurant.  As it was, it wasn't that cheap, but for about $25 I fed the Flour Children plus two of their friends, Hub, and myself.  And Hub has some for tomorrow's lunch.  So that's pretty good.

And, yes.  This is pretty easy to make.

This is my version.  You can find the original here.  I had to double it to feed all of us.

You can't really see any browned bits from the broiler because I didn't leave this one
in long enough.  But I broiled the second one enough to brown it.  We just couldn't wait.  It happens.

Tortellini with Asiago and Bacon
adapted from Cooking for My Peace of Mind

12 oz. bacon (about 8 slices), probably better make a little extra for noshing while cooking
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or about 2 tsp. of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste (I skipped the salt, what with the bacon and the cheese being salty)
2 tbsp. flour
3-4 c. milk (depending on the consistency you want; I opted for 3)
2 lbs of refrigerated cheese tortellini, NOT cooked
1 c. grated asiago (or other hard cheese, like parm or romano)

Heat broiler.  In large skillet (I used two; this is a lot of food), cook the bacon until brown and crispy.  Set aside to drain.  You can pour off a little of the grease, but not too much.  That's right.  We're gonna eat it.  You'll be okay.  In fact, it's why it's so good.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft.  Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.

Slowly whisk in the milk.  Add the tortellini.  Bring to a boil and stir occasionally.  Reduce heat to low until thickened, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and crumble the bacon over the pasta and add half of the cheese.  Stir to combine.

You could eat it now, but why?  Top with the rest of the cheese.  Stick it under the broiler for about 3 or 4 minutes and let it brown a bit.  It's just so pretty.  Well, make sure your pan can go under the broiler (I made mine in cast iron skillets).  If not, transfer it to one (or two) that can.

You are welcome, my friends.

I'm a saucy girl

I've been making my own spaghetti sauce for a few years now.  I'm not talking about chopping and saucing tomatoes, as I feel that's way too much work and I like my tomatoes to be turned into salsa.  This recipe is SUPER easy.  Really, it's kind of lazy.  It's very good and also cheap.

Easy Pasta Sauce

2 giant cans of crushed tomatoes (I mean the Costco/Sam's size, here.  Mine are 105 oz. each)
whole head of garlic (yes, all the cloves from a whole head.  I guess if you hate garlic, you have bigger problems.)
pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
oregano (I used dried, about a tbsp)
basil (Again, I only had dried, about a tbsp)
1 tbsp. sugar

if you like them, and if you have them:
chopped onion (at least one whole onion, or more)
chopped peppers



I usually don't saute the veggies, as that seems like work with this recipe.

Combine it all in a giant crock pot.  I think mine is 6 qt, so obviously (I hope), you may want to halve this recipe for your crock pot.

Turn it on low and put the lid on so it gets hot.  Once it's hot (about 20-30 minutes), fix the lid so it's ajar in order to let steam evaporate.  I cook mine overnight for about 8-10 hours.  Once it cools, freeze in ziploc bags.  They'll stack nicely in your freezer.

By the way, these cans of tomatoes cost $2.69 each at Costco.  We'll say I've used $2 worth of other ingredients.  Maybe.  (I didn't have peppers this time.)  For less than $5 you can have something much better than you can buy at the store, and in greater quantity.

Lazy Dinner

I know some people don't know how to cook.  I can almost understand it.  Almost.  Maybe your parents didn't teach you.  Maybe you didn't take home ec.  I don't know.  But this here is a lazy, from scratch dinner.  You can do it.  It's one of the first things I ever learned to make.  It's a forgiving recipe, and I've included some ideas for making it your's.

No, not the prettiest dinner.  But easy and delicious.

Pot Roast in the Crock Pot (aka Yankee Pot Roast)

1 roast of your choice -- Now right there, you might be panicking.  Relax.  Your local grocery store probably has some roast on sale right now.  My personal favorite is rump roast.  You could go with a chuck roast or a sirloin roast.  Anything will work.  The photo is of a rump roast, which often has this string netting over it.  You can cook it with the strings on, then just cut them off at the end.  What weight should it be?  Whatever you think will feed your family.  Mine is probably a good 5 lbs.  We might eat it all.  If we're lucky, there will be leftovers for Hub for lunch.

carrots -- I had 2 small bags of carrots from a local farm, so I put them all in (scrubbed and left whole, as they were only 3-4 inches long).  I usually put in at least 1 lb. of carrots.  You can add more if you like them.  Somehow, meat-flavored carrots are just extra yummy.  You could just halve them and they'll be fine.

potatoes -- Again, I had some red potatoes from the farm and most were small.  I scrubbed them and just threw them in whole.  You could use any potato, though something like a red or new potato would hold up better than a russet in the crock pot.  But any kind works.  You can halve them, too, or quarter them.  Or leave them whole if they are smallish.

onion -- I used a medium purple onion.  Need more onion flavor?  Use more, or use a different type, like a yellow or white onion.  Want a sweet onion?  Go ahead with the Vidalia or Walla-Walla.  (I just wanted to say Walla-Walla).  I peeled, then halved, my onion.

seasoning -- This is a lazy dinner.  So while I could've gone all fancy, I didn't.  I used the Costco version of Mrs. Dash.  And some kosher salt.  

Place cut veggies in bottom of crock pot.  Top with roast.  Again, if you have a rump roast, you can leave the string on.  Sprinkle seasoning over top.  I probably used about a teaspoon, maybe a bit more, of the fake Mrs. Dash and just a light sprinkling of salt.  I'll taste it when it's done and season it again if need be.

Add about 1/2 cup water (or beef broth) to the pot.  Put the lid on and set on low for about 8 hours or so.  Remove meat and veggies to a platter or bowl.  Don't forget to taste it all again.  Often, the veggies will need a bit more salt as most of it went on the meat.

If you're feeling crazy, you can use the juice in the bottom of the pot to make gravy.  But that's another post.  I usually just spoon some over top of the meat.

Eats for the equinox

I made this in late spring, when spinach was everywhere.  But now fall is approaching, and spinach will be back.  This is super easy.  The most expensive part of it is the bacon, so a splurge for the good stuff is definitely warranted, if you feel so led.

Penne, Spinach & Bacon

1 (12 oz) package penne

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

6 slices bacon, chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed, torn into bite-size pieces (The Flour Children tore the spinach)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Heat 1 tbsp. oil in skillet over medium.  

Place bacon in skillet, and cook until brown and crisp.  Add garlic, and cook about 1 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes (with juice) and heat through.  Put spinach in colander and strain pasta over it.  The cooking liquid will wilt your spinach.  Toss all ingredients together with 1 tbsp. oil.

Menu Plan for the Week of 6/7

I am making a few new things this week, which always makes me happy. I really think I have food ADD. I don't know if that's a real affliction, but it is to me. I get so bored eating the same things over and over again.

MONDAY

honeyed pork chops

salad

spanakorizo (spinach-tomato rice)

TUESDAY

penne, spinach & bacon

WEDNESDAY

spaghetti and meatballs

THURSDAY

take out

FRIDAY

meatloaf

mac & cheese

green beans

SATURDAY

party

SUNDAY

Mom's

Here's one of the recipes I'm trying this week. Let me know if you make it!

Honeyed Pork Chops

2 tbsp. oil

6 boneless pork chops (I am going to use 8 regular chops)

3 tbsp. honey

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. pepper

Heat oven to 325. Brown chops in oil on stovetop about 5 minutes on each side. Place into a casserole dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over top of chops. Bake for one hour.

One man's trash...

Here, Funny is enjoying her last few bites of dinner.

I had the following leftovers:

turkey

peas

rice

Now, I could've been boring, and just reheated it all and thrown it on our plates. But instead I turned it into soup. We'll be able to eat the soup for a few days, too, so we actually get more out of it. I love that about soup. It's just magic.

I used some homemade chicken stock that I pulled out of my freezer, though you can certainly use canned or boxed broth. Because I used homemade, I did add salt to my soup. Don't add salt if you use canned broth!!!

I threw the broth into the crockpot and let it heat up. Once the broth was hot, I added the leftover rice (about 2 cups), leftover peas (about 1 cup), and then I decided that we need more veggies! Soup is so great for getting rid of all the bits of veggies you have hanging around. I threw in about 1 cup of frozen green beans, about 1/2 cup of frozen chopped spinach, and one chopped onion.

I added some salt & pepper, then decided to add some no-salt seasoning (similar to Mrs. Dash), because I was feeling lazy. I also added some fresh rosemary & oregano that I have in a little herb garden. Then I just left it in the crockpot, on low, until dinnertime. It probably crocked at least 1 hour once everything was in it.

This made a very tasty, pretty soup. Even the kids ate it without complaining. I like it when that happens.

Enchiladas

I won't claim that these resemble authentic Mexican-American fare whatsoever. But they are easy, although messy, to make.

Mine are bean, onion & cheese. I don't know that beans even belong in an enchilada, but I married for love, not money, so they are in mine. Other filling ideas include regular taco-flavored ground beef, shredded pork, shredded beef, or even some tasty shredded chicken. Also, just cheese and onion makes a yummy filling.

You need some enchilada sauce. I have made it before, and it is easy. (I combined a few recipes on allrecipes.com when I made mine last time. Check on there for ideas.) This time, I just bought a big can of enchilada sauce. The only thing is, most brands have MSG in them. So if you like to avoid it, make sure to check the label.

Corn tortillas. Now, I have made regular burritos with flour tortillas, covered them with enchilada sauce, and called them enchiladas. You are supposed to use corn, and as it happens, I had corn tortillas. I won't tell what kind of tortillas you use. Use the kind that your family will eat!

Cheese. Lots of it.

Here's how I made mine today. Granted, this could change next time! Use it as a guideline.

Enchiladas

about 15-20 corn tortillas, warmed (I used the microwave.)

4 c. cheese (I used 2 c. Mexican blend, 2 c. cheddar. Shhh...I did not shred my own cheese today.)

large can enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas 19 oz.)

refried beans with onion (See directions for beans below.)

Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a large pan (13x9 or bigger). Gather all your ingredients together in one place, as this is very messy. Pour some sauce into a shallow dish or pan. Dip a tortilla in the sauce, and flip over to coat. Wipe a little of the excess back into the dish. Put a small (really, you want just a couple tablespoons of filling) spoonful of beans inside; top with a sprinkling of cheese. (I used 2 c. of the Mexican blend inside the tortillas, and used the cheddar for the top at the end.) Carefully roll them up and place seam side down in the pan. If your tortillas are too cold, they will break into pieces and you will be irate. However, don't fret if you have a couple broken ones. No one will know once you put that ridiculous amount of cheese over the top. You can really smush them into the pan. Don't be afraid to fill it up! Just keep them in one layer. I used my big pan (I think it's a 15x9 at least) and I have about 20 in mine.

Once your pan is full of little rolled up tortillas, pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Then top that with however much cheese you want, up to 2 cups. This family is crazy for cheese, so I used the whole 2 cups.

Spray some foil so it doesn't stick to the cheese, and cover the pan. Bake at 350 until heated through. I would say check them after 25-30 minutes or so.

Obviously, you can use a can of refried beans. I won't tell. They are a fine substitute, and can be tasty if you season them, and thin them out a little with some water. Because otherwise, they are oddly pasty.

Refried Beans

cooked beans (I did mine in the crockpot, but canned are fine here.)

1 onion, chopped

fat (I used about 2 tbsp. butter)

cumin

garlic (powdered or real, if real, add with onion)

chili powder

salt

Melt butter in large skillet. Add onion, and saute for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add beans, and mash with a potato masher. Mash them to whatever consistency you like. Season with garlic, chili powder (I used chipotle chili powder), salt, and cumin. Do not forget the cumin. Cumin=Mexican food. Heat thoroughly, and let fry a little on the bottom.

Asian Pot Roast

I warn you now, I failed to photograph the roast. But really, use your imagination. It looked like meat. Cooked meat. It wasn't that pretty anyway. But it was tasty.

Asian Pot Roast

roast (I used one 1.5 lb. bottom round and one approximately 2 lb. chuck roast)

If you have a normal family, obviously you could use less. I am feeding 6 plus I want leftovers.

1/2 c. soy sauce (I used tamari; I'm like that)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced or about 2-3 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. honey

scant sprinkle of allspice

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. hot chili oil

1 tsp. sesame oil

Combine in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. However long you want. It's a crock pot. It's very forgiving. I had wanted to toss some sesame seeds in this at the end, but I forgot.

Anyway, here's how I finished it:

I had leftover red peppers and onions from yesterday. They were already sautéed. So if you want to add them, you'll have to sauté them toward the end. I am pro-veggie, so I really do recommend you add something. Some steamed broccoli would be good, too, just served with it.

I pulled the meat out of the pot (I threw out the fat) and shredded it in a bowl with two forks. If you are smarter than I am, you would add the seeds here. You could even toast them in a dry skillet. Man, I am so mad I forgot! Then I reheated the peppers and onions and mixed them into the liquid from the pot. I poured the liquid with veggies over the meat, and combined it. I served it all over some tasty brown rice.

You can really play with the seasonings here--more or less garlic, ginger, or add pepper. I was afraid to add pepper with the chili oil, but it could've been spicier. I just would not add much more allspice. I don't know what even possessed me to put that on the meat, but it was good. But I am pretty confident that no one wants their roast to taste like pie. So be careful!

The Heat of the Moment

Asia is not just a lame 80s band. Here's a run-down of tonight's Asian-inspired menu.

I have made this chicken a couple of times. I vaguely remember it being based on a recipe, but it has been sufficiently tweaked to make it mine. My son, Scrappy, thinks this is the very best thing he's ever eaten.

Before we get to the chicken, let's prep the broccoli. I was supposed to make a broccoli rabe dish from Eating Well magazine. Well, my local store doesn't carry broccoli rabe. Here I was, all ready to try something new! I figure, hmmm. Broccoli. Broccoli rabe. I'll just buy broccoli and maybe the sauce will be good on that. I'm here to say--it is!!!

So, chop up your broccoli (I am a horrible person who prefers the tops, but the rest of you can peel and chop the stem too). Steam it until it is just shy of being done. Seriously, you can invest in a steamer basket. It is the best way to cook broccoli and they are like $2 at Target. Run a little cool water over them so they'll stop cooking and set them aside. Nobody wants to eat your mushy, over-cooked broccoli.

Vietnamese-Flavored Broccoli

In a small bowl, combine:

1 tbsp. fish sauce (nam pla)

1 1/2 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed pepper flakes

Stir until the sugar dissolves, and set it aside until we're ready.

As for fish sauce, I kept seeing it over and over again in recipes. I would just omit it in the past. But I have to say, I am happy I finally broke down and bought it.

Honey-Soy Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half to make 6 pieces (you can just use 6 breasts if you want, but I'm cheap and we don't need to eat that much meat)

soy sauce

honey

garlic powder (or some fresh minced garlic)

pepper

Place the chicken pieces in a dish or bowl. Pour soy sauce over top and about halfway up the sides. I probably used about 1/2 cup. Sprinkle your garlic and pepper over top. Let it sit there a while (on your counter is fine; it won't kill you)--at least 10 minutes (or however long it takes to prep the carrots).

Meanwhile....

Garlic Carrots

4 -6 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins (1/4 to 1/2 inch thick)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. oil of choice

1/4 c. water

1/4 tsp. thyme (more or less)

salt

pepper

Heat the oil in a pot (choose one that has a lid) over medium-high. Saute the carrots and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the water, and the seasonings (season to taste). Cover with lid. Start small with your seasonings, because you can just add more at the end. Trust yourself. You can do it. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the carrots steam. They need to cook about 8-10 minutes.

Back to the chicken.

Heat up your skillet to medium-high with about 2-3 tbsp. of canola oil. Put the chicken in the pan, along with the marinade. Mmmmmm....

Pause to enjoy the smell of your tasty dinner. Your chicken is so happy. It's browning, so leave it alone. After a couple minutes, flip the chicken. Let it brown on the second side for a minute or two. Turn it down to medium and cover the pan for about 5-7 minutes (this depends on the thickness and quantity of your chicken). Take the lid off, and drizzle the chicken with some honey. Flip it over so the honey starts to caramelize. You weren't sure until I said, "caramelize." But now you know you have to make this, huh? Drizzle more honey and flip again. Try to control your drooling. When your chicken is done, put it on a plate. I like to pour a little bit of the sauce over top.

I'm sorry this isn't the greatest photo. But face it, I'm not a photographer.

Let's see. The chicken is done. The carrots are done. Now, the broccoli.

Heat up another skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp. canola oil. Toss in the broccoli, and cook about 1-2 minutes to heat up. Pour the sauce over top and toss. Heat about 1 more minute.

Dinner is done.

Go. Try it. And you can kiss me later. (After your brush your teeth.)

Make it Homemade!

We're coming to the end of crock pot week around here. I always loved my crock pot, but I learned this week how I really have little to no excuse for not making dinner! Thanks to the FlyLady plan, my kitchen is clean. This used to be the biggest hindrance to my cooking. When I would survey the sink full of dirty dishes and counters cluttered up with toys and papers, I would just think, "ugh, why bother?" Then I would order pizza. And I don't even like restaurant pizza as much as I like my own. Seriously. I don't like sacrificing taste.

Anyway, so now the kitchen is always clean, or about 2 minutes away from being clean. As a result, we are spending far less money on going out to eat mediocre food. Because let's face it, most kid-friendly restaurants aren't that good. Though all of that being said, I will still go out, and I will still enjoy it. I just want to be more selective. You have to eat to live. But you have to eat everyday, and, for me, I figure we might as well like what we eat.

Back to the crock pot. It does require planning. I've always been a bit of a meal planner. I used to do a month at a time, as Hub only gets paid once a month. I have gotten much better at budgeting, and we no longer feast weeks 1-3 and scrounge during week 4. Point is, I like planning out our meals. I only plan one week at a time now, though. I find I am much better at sticking to it.

How do I meal plan? I start by looking at the calendar for next week. Monday nights we are gone from 3:45-6:45. I almost always use the crock pot on Mondays, or make something like tacos before we leave. Then when we get home, I just heat up the meat and we just assemble them. Tuesday is errand day, which means grocery day. Tuesdays I like to cook with a lot of fresh veggies, while they are still fresh. So I plan accordingly--grilled chicken salad, stir-fry, etc. You get the picture. I look at the week, and I plan dinner from there.

I also plan breakfast and lunch as well. Again, this really goes back to the monthly paycheck, so I have to be aware of the food situation. The breakfast and lunch plans are more loose, as I don't really care which day we eat each of the meals. I just know that I have all those foods in the house. Monday might say mac & cheese, but if we want to eat Thursday's planned pb&js on Monday, we will. We can have mac & cheese another day.

I'm the wife and mom around here. In our home, this makes me not only the cook, but the nutritionist as well. I want to provide healthy meals for our family. Not everything I make is 100% healthy. But at least I know what we're eating. I know how much fat, salt, dye, corn syrup, and chemicals we're putting into our bodies. Yes, sometimes we are going to eat Oreos, and we are going to like them. But, you can't tell me that an elf makes a better chocolate chip cookie than I do.

Oh yeah, all this meal planning saves you money too!

Okay, I am stepping down off my box now. Here's today's crock pot recipe:

Cuban Black Beans and Rice (Thanks to Betty Crocker for this one. We can't all be gourmets!)

1 lb. dried black beans (2 cups), sorted (you're looking for little stones or funky shriveled beans), rinsed

1 large onion, chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (minced is fine)

2 bay leaves

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with liquid

5 c. water

2 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil

4 tbsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. finely chopped jalapeno (I don't have a fresh one, so I am using a few sliced pickled ones)

1 tsp. salt

3 c. hot rice for serving

Mix everything but the rice in your crock pot. Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours until beans are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Discard bay leaves. Serve over rice.

Estimated cost of this whole meal is about $4. (6 servings)

My kids eyed this with great suspicion. Hub and I thought it was tasty. I ended up freezing the rest to mash up and mix into enchiladas or taco pie. I will hide them under cheese so the kids won't complain as much. They just don't know what's good sometimes.

What can I do with this bacon?

It's cold and snowy. So I need soup. I am only sad that I wasn't able to make some bread to go with it. Maybe next time.

Potato Soup

5-6 potatoes, scrubbed and baked (I used Yukon gold, they are so buttery & delicious)

1 box vegetable broth (plus water as needed)

1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded

bunch cilantro, chopped finely

can chopped green chiles

2-3 (or if you're me, 6 or 7) slices bacon, chopped

1/2 large or 1 medium onion, chopped

some shakes of no-salt seasoning (like Mrs. Dash, but I use Costco brand)

salt and pepper to taste

Cube baked potatoes. Don't burn yourself!

Throw them into a pot with a box of vegetable broth. My broth had honey in it, which at first I thought was super weird, but after tasting, decided it was quite tasty. Add the chiles. Start heating that all up.

Meanwhile, cook your bacon and onion in a separate pan, until it is as done as you like.

Season with whatever seasonings you like (I used Costco's Organic No-Salt Seasoning, because I felt lazy. But garlic, thyme, rosemary, chili powder, cumin, well, really anything would work).

Stir the soup, and when your bacon and onions are done, throw them into the soup. Add a little water (1/2 - 1 cup) if it is getting stew-y instead of soupy. Taste it and be wowed. Add salt & pepper if you feel like it. Toss in the cilantro.

You really don't have to buy the already shredded cheese from your local Stuff-Mart. This is some Amish co-jack (I know we can't all have that, either!) that my mom picked up in Ohio. Thanks Mom! That weird metal thing is a box grater. I know, crazy.

Time elapsed, about 1 minute. Seriously. It tastes better. It isn't coated in that weird non-caking stuff that dries out the already shredded cheese.

Serve into bowls, and top each bowl with some cheese.

Your kids will look at you with suspicion. But don't be fooled. It's delicious.

Tacos in a Bowl

I got Bon Appetit's Fast Easy Fresh cookbook for Christmas this year. I had this book from the library over the summer for months and had marked over 100 recipes to try, so I figured I should ask for it for Christmas. Thanks to my MIL, we are now eating like royalty, all in 30 minutes or so.

Tonight we had Chicken & Hominy Soup, which ended up being their version of tortilla soup.

CHICKEN & HOMINY SOUP (This is my version; for Bon Appetit's version, see Fast Easy Fresh.)

(Turkey & Hominy in our case)

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 bunches green onions, sliced

4 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. paprika

8 c. chicken broth (low sodium would've been good, but I didn't have any)

2 cans creamed corn

1 can diced tomatoes w/juice

2 c. cooked, chopped turkey

few shakes hot sauce

3 cans hominy w/juice

1 c. chopped fresh cilantro

corn chips

shredded cheddar

(avocado, sour cream optional as well)

Use your big soup pot for this one.

Heat oil over med-hi heat and add onions, cumin, and paprika; cook about 3 minutes or so. Add broth, corn, tomatoes with their juice, turkey and hot sauce. Puree hominy with juice in blender or processor. Mix hominy into soup and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Ladle into bowls and top with a few crushed chips and a sprinkling of cheese (or avocado or sour cream), if desired.

Flour children's servings ready to go.