Thursday, August 25, 2011

Sauteed Spinach

When I first met my husband he hated spinach. He refused to eat it, which is big, because he'll try anything. I grew up eating spinach almost every day, so it was hard for me to understand why he didn't like it. I finally convinced him to try my recipe, and while he doesn't love it like Addie and I do, he will eat it if it's on the menu. This is how I won him over to the spinach side:

Sauteed Spinach
1 12oz bag of fresh spinach
1 tsp butter
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp lemon juice
sprinkle of salt

Steam the spinach using a steamer basket (don't boil, all the nutrients will be washed away). Drain in a colander very well (I usually press it with fork to make sure that all of the water is squeezed out). In a small saute pan, melt the butter and add the garlic, lemon juice and salt. Chop the spinach and add to the pan. Saute for 1 minute and serve.

Addie's Fish Nuggets

I came up with this recipe tonight for Addie's dinner. I knew I wanted to do some type of tasty, crunchy bites for her with the fish fillet I had. This recipe was awarded the highest honor, Addie's two-thumbs-up and a big exlicmation that it is "the best fish ever!" :) Lucky mom!

Addie's Fish Nuggets
1/4 lb white fish, like Haddock, cut into 1/2 inch nuggets
1/4 c panko
1/4 c fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder (more or less to taste)
sprinkle of salt
1 egg
2 tbsps olive oil

Heat the oil in a medium skillet. In one bowl whisk the egg. In another bowl mix the panko, cheese, garlic and salt. Dip the fish in the egg first, then in the panko mixture. Add to the pan and fry until brown on both sides.

** You can also skip cutting the fish into nuggets and serve it as a filet. Also, this can easily be baked instead of pan fried.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Beth's Sweet and Sour Chicken

Similar to the chicken from an Chinese resturant, this dish is both sweet and sour. I picked up the main idea from allrecipes.com, but then made some big adjustments to the sauce and chicken coating. The first time I made it, pre-adjustments, the sauce smelled like hotdogs. Luckily I used my awesome culinary powers (ha ha; kidding) and devised a tasty version. Here it is! (ps my family hates cooked pineapple apparently, so you can just skip it if you'd prefer). I served this over rice with garlicky broccoli. If you like a lot of sauce, then double the sauce, because it's not a very saucy dish (see the picture). I'm going to double it next time.


Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 1b  boneless chicken breast, butterflied (or chicken cutlets)
1 egg, whisked
Salt/pepper
½ - ¾ cup cornstarch
½ tbsp veg oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup pineapple juice
pineapple rings

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the cornstarch, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl whisk the egg. Using the assembly line method, coat the chicken first in the egg then in the cornstarch mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; brown the chicken well, to the point where it is almost fully cooked. Layer chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to broil. In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion, and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil, simmer until slightly thickened, and pour over chicken. Top with pineapples. Broil until pineapples caramelize and sauce bubbles.

The picture was after Bill and Addie attacked it :)


Linguini with Clam Sauce

This is Addie's favorite dish. She awarded me two stickers for being the "bestest cooker ever" after enjoying two bowls of this tonight! :) I guess that equals two thumbs up?

 Beth's Clam Sauce
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
4 cans Snow's minced clams, with broth reserved from 2 cans
1/2 cup water
1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
1 lb cooked linguini
grated Parmesan cheese

In a saute pan with sides, heat the butter and oil on medium. Add the garlic and saute briefly. Add the wine (or broth) and clam juice (only the juice!) and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix the water and cornstarch in a cup to make a slurry. Slowly add half of the slurry to the simmering pan and stir well. If it's not thick enough for your liking, add more slurry, otherwise, discard the rest of the slurry. Add the clams and mix well. Remove the pan from heat and toss with the hot pasta. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Oven Barbecue Chicken

We don't have a grill at the moment, so anything I want barbequed or charred I do up using my broiler. This recipe for chicken can easily be made in the winter months when you don't feel like venturing out into the snow, but you're craving some crisp sweet and spicy chicken.

Beth's Oven BBQ Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into parts, or 1 pkg of your favorite chicken parts
1-2 tbsp coarse seasoned salt (like Tastefully Simple's; amount depends on how much chicken you have)
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray's)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your chicken skin side up in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle a fine layer of seasoned salt over each piece of chicken and rub in lightly. For 6 thighs I bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Place the chicken on a baking sheet sprayed with oil, skin side down. Preheat the broiler to High. Baste the cut side well with BBQ sauce. Broil on High for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and liberally coat the skin side with BBQ sauce. Broil for another 5 minutes (warning: the broiler might smoke up at this point, so be careful when removing the pan). Let the chicken rest for 10-12 minutes before serving. It'll be perfectly juicy and crisp! :)