Recipes to Try

Chocolate Crunch Waffles with Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream

These recipes use self-rising flour:

Gooey Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Toffee-apple cookies

Oatmeal - Raisin Cookies

All-American Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Father's Day Card

Card made for my husband's father. I couldn't make a golf or tool card since I've made those for the past few holidays, so this caught my eye. The accompanying gifts were bottle stoppers with globes at the ends, so I thought boat=world travel? Hey, I try. Wonder if I can send this one to my SIL for her birthday?

Chipotle Chicken with Rice

Adapted from July's Everyday Food, tasty with just the right amount of heat.

4-6 skinless chicken thighs
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, roughly chopped
1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3/4 c white rice
1 cup chicken broth
water
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Coat bottom of a dutch oven with olive oil and heatover medium high heat until sizzling. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

2. Adding more oil if necessary, saute red onion on medium heat until soft. Add a splash of chicken broth to loosen brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

3. Add garlic, cumin, and chipotle chiles and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 tsp salt. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture begins to bubble. Pour remaining chicken stock into the tomato can or 1 cup measuring cup adding water if necessary. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to the pot and simmer for 25 minutes.

4. Remove a couple pieces of chicken. Add rice and mix well. Return chicken to the pan, cover, and cook until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.

Baking cookies

On Saturday, I made two chocolate chip cookie recipes:

1. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies


2. Chocolate Chip Cookies with Dried Cherries and Walnuts


As you likely guessed by the pictures, I really love the chocolate-cherry walnut cookies. I ate so many of them that by the time I remembered to take pictures, they were nearly all gone.

Plants progress

Here's another update on my plants. Everyone's still alive, but I do worry that battles are being waged beneath the surface of the soil that I can't see or defend.


Yesterday, I made basil and parsley pesto, which cleaned out my basil plant and did some necessary trimming to my italian parsley plant.


Closeup of the thyme, which you can see is growing at a snail's pace.


Basil planted from seeds is about an inch to an inch and a half


Tomatoes appear to be getting stronger.


I even transplanted three little tomato sprouts to another container last weekend. Next to, the rosemary and sage are still alive, although I specially worry that they will not have enough space.

Blueberry-Oatmeal Scones

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit most recent issue (July 2009, I think).

2 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/3 - 1/2 c dark brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
11 Tbs butter, unsalted
1 c + 3 T oatmeal
1 c fresh blueberries
1 3/4 half and half (I used 1 c heavy cream and 3/4 c skim milk)
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp granulated or raw sugar

1. Preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.

2. Combine flours, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in mixer bowl (or food processor). Mix in room temperature butter until you have a sandy mix. Stir in 1 cup of oatmeal and blueberries.

3. In a separate bowl, mix liquids. Gradually combine liquid and dry mixtures until the dough comes together.

4. Drop by 1/2 cup portions onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Sprinkle tops with the remaining oatmeal and sugar.

5. Bake 15 minutes, then reverse pans if on different racks, and bake 15 minutes more or until a tester comes out clean.

6. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 10-12 scones.

Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 cup broccoli, blanched or lightly steamed (spinach or another green works too)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

3 T butter
1/3 c flour
3 c milk
3-4 c shredded cheese (cheddar, gruyere, etc)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp powdered mustard
salt and pepper to taste

1 egg, beaten

1 lb box of pasta (penne, elbows, farfalle, rotini)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on package, leaving al dente (firm). Drain and set aside

2. Saute onion in olive oil until tendered. In the last minute or two, add garlic and blanched broccoli. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Mix in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and cook until bubbly (about 5 minutes). Whisk in cheese, stir until melted. Add in mustard, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Mix sauce with pasta, onion mixture, and egg. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

5. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Pasta, pasta, pasta

Went to Jewel and found all these buffed up pastas on sale--I'm defining "buffed up" as having a respectable amount of fiber per serving. I couldn't resist and bought 5 different ones.



The "Smart Taste" in the very back will be turned into mac and cheese this evening.

Honey-chipotle bbq sauce

Last night I was in the mood for grilled steak, but needed to jazz it up. Using a recipe intended for ribs from the most recent edition of "Everyday Food," I made a couple minor modifications and tried it on my steak. Works great and I have more in the fridge if I do get around to ribs later in the week. 

1/4 c canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

1/4 c honey

1/4 c mustard powder

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

Whisk together--no cooking required!