Okay, so I'm moving this weekend and I just got hit by Denver's "Blizzard of 2006." This creates two (culinary) problems: All my dishes are packed and all my food is at it's bare minimum, and I can't go out and buy anything as all the supermarkets have been closed down.
Last night we had a little less than a half chicken breast and some assorted foods, and we wanted to make some warm soup to get through the night. We really didn't have enough broth, but we have a fridge full of wine from a going-away party earlier in the week, so I thought I could make a tasty liquid. As I'm cooking I realize that I have a can of crushed tomatoes, and I realized that I'm saved. Yes, saved.
While watching her show makes me want to die, Rachael Ray usually has some recipes that can be easily changed to fit your situation so that you, too, can have a tasty meal with some pantry staples (and really, we're down to just the pantry duct tape at this point!).
So, one of our favorite Rachael Ray recipes is her *sigh* Italian Sub Stoup. We had recently altered the recipe to make an Italian sausage stoup for an appetizer party, so I decided to save the day and make a delicious concoction that I probably wouldn't have thought of without her.
I took the 3/4 of a box of broth, juice-box sized box of stock, some leftover wine, and the crushed tomatoes to create a hearty base. I then added some cooked chicken, two carrots, garlic, half an onion, and bit of green pepper to create a "stoup." We added the last of our croutons and parmesan cheese and had a delightful and healthy meal (when our alternative was about 1000 crackers). It's not so much Rachael Ray's exact recipes, but really her methods that will come in handy in a pinch.
But please, do yourself a favor and DON'T watch her talk show.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Usefulness of Rachael Ray, and other Snowbound Thoughts
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Some nights I just don't feel like cooking. When it's been a long day all I want to do is throw together a quick meal and watch some TV.
I still want to eat something healthful and fresh on these nights though, so I've been experimenting with ways to make a simple salad more exciting.
The best thing I've come up with is my buffalo chicken salad.
With the help of my George Foreman grill, this takes about 5 minutes to throw together.
The George Foreman grill is great for quick and easy cooking. You could also broil or bake, but it takes much longer for things to cook that way and you also have to wait for the oven to heat up.
I take a chicken breast and cut it into thin slices so they will cook faster. I give them a quick coat of buffalo sauce and then put them on the George Foreman for about 3 minutes or until they are done. I also pour some buffalo sauce onto the chicken pieces on the grill. Marinating them for a bit would work as well, but it's not necessary.
While that is cooking, I assemble the salad. I usually just use lettuce (I use the pre-cut bags of lettuce) and tomatoes but any veggies would go well.
Once the chicken is done I cut it up and add it to my salad. Add a little more buffalo sauce if you'd like and then a little ranch or blue cheese dressing.
It's delicious :)
I've found that Frank's Buffalo Sauce is the best. It's the perfect amount of spicy and still has tons of flavor. I also like to use Marie's blue cheese dressing because it's the BEST. I've been eating the lite kind and it's pretty tasty.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Vaguely Mexican Casserole
My husband was feeling creative in the kitchen last night (that sounds a little dirty, doesn't it?) and suggested this funky casserole/one-dish meal. Apparently, it's based on something that was served for lunch last week in the high school he teaches at. Here's what went into it:
2/3 c. rice
1 1/3 c. water
1 can red kidney beans
4-5 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 red bell pepper (green, yellow or orange would work too), diced small
1 large can corn
pinch chili powder
2 chicken thighs worth of cooked, shredded chicken meat
a healthy tsp+ garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
2-3 heavy pinches salt
a couple grinds of black pepper (1/2 tsp.)
shredded cheddar/jack cheese
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and turn heat to low, cook covered until most of the water has been absorbed (about 5 minutes). Turn the heat up to medium, add kidney beans, tomatoes, and spices to taste - since we were kind of making this one up on the fly, I'm not sure exactly how much of what spices went into the pan - a lot of salt and garlic powder, for sure. Cook together on medium heat until the tomatoes start to fall apart and the pepper gets softer.
Add the cooked shredded chicken (we had cooked two chicken thighs the night before, but you could use cooked breast meat instead - I think you can purchase this in the grocery store now), bell pepper and corn, mix together and cook over medium heat until the chicken has warmed through and everything looks about done. If you prefer your bell pepper a little softer, add it earlier, with the tomatoes.
Test the spicing one last time and add anything that seems to be missing. Spoon onto plates top with some shredded cheese, and enjoy! This made about 4 dinner-sized servings.
---- Apologies for the messiness of this recipe, but we definitely were making it up as we went along. All in all it turned out really well - so much so, in fact, that we ate the leftovers for dinner the NEXT NIGHT, which is unusual and definitely a stamp of approval. It was surprisingly creamy, I'm guessing because the beans and rice broke down a bit, and the corn and bell pepper added some interesting texture. Plus, by my calculations, this dish is INCREDIBLY healthy: lots of fiber, decent amount of protein (between the beans and the chicken), and low fat (just the cheese, pretty much). And so colorful, too!
I'd be curious to see how other people like it...
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Superfast "Cuban" dinner
It's been too hot to do much cooking lately, but this is one dish we have all the time that doesn't take too much effort or slaving over a hot stove. No, it's not fancy, but it is tasty and filling.
The components are pretty simple - one can of Trader Joe's Cuban Style Black Beans (you could use any type of black beans, or, if you want to work a little harder, make your own), rice, and pan-fried bananas with a little brown sugar and cinnamon.
Start with the rice. Bring 1/2 c. rice and 1 c. water to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer 10-30 minutes (depending on the type of rice) until the water has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy. While the rice is cooking, heat up the beans, either in a saucepan or, even easier, in the microwave.
To make the bananas, melt about 1 Tbsp. butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Slice up two bananas, first cut in half, then cut each half lengthwise. [I find it easiest to keep the bananas whole if you leave the peel on, then remove it after the bananas have been sliced.] Fry the bananas in the butter, about 3-5 minutes each side, until golden brown spots appear and the banana is a little soft. Be careful when flipping the bananas as they will be a bit mushy - use a firm spatula (not tongs!) and just tip the banana slice upside down.
Transfer the bananas to your serving plate and sprinkle with [These bananas would also be great for dessert, with vanilla ice cream or something similar] Serve the beans over the rice (or mixed with the rice) with the bananas on the side.
