What to Get Rid of Wednesday

I know it's Thursday,  and no I'm not trying to trick you.  I would have posted this yesterday but our computer was a little bit on the fritz.  It's decided: June 4th is moving day!  It's all very exciting and exhausting.  We have lots of fun things planned for the next few weeks we're in Fort Worth, but they will be in the midst of a thousand decisions and obligations.

One of my tasks is to reduce the amount of stored food.  I know we can move it, and I'm sure we'll end up moving quite a few items.  But, I'd like to get rid of as many things as possible, particularly partially used items like the three packages of Asian noodles that are all only 1/4 full.

I decided running a series called "What to Get Rid of Wednesdays" would at least give me some focus once a week to finish a product.

This week I finished a box of orzo pasta and a jar of sun dried tomatoes.  I had the idea of some sort of noodle dish and ended up with a cold pasta salad of sorts.  The thing was everything in the dish minus the tomatoes and cheese needed to be cooked before being added to the salad.  I have some variation ideas at the end of the recipe in case you don't have time to prep the salad and chill before dinner.  

We really liked this idea, but while cleaning up I pretty much vowed never to use orzo pasta again.  It was everywhere: the dining room and kitchen floor, all over the table, my daughter's chair, my hair, and the bottom of my foot.  Oh, well!

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad  

1 Chicken breast

6-8 oz. Orzo pasta

1 Small zucchini- thickly sliced into half moons

5 Button mushrooms- quartered

1 Small yellow onion, chopped

2 oz. Mozzarella- cubed

3 Slices sun dried tomatoes- chopped

1/4 Bottle Italian Dressing

Season chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Heat saute pan over medium heat, lightly coat with oil, and sear chicken, flipping once, until done.  This takes about 12-18 minutes depending on size.  If the breast is really thick I like to cut in half to reduce cooking time.  Remove from heat and let cool, then cut into bit sized pieces.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.

Using the same of a different pan, saute zucchini and mushrooms in 1 T. olive oil just until starting to brown and become tender, about 3 minutes.  Heat another saute pan over medium low heat, add about 1 T. olive oil, coat the pan, and add the onions.  Cover pan to allow the onions to release some moisture, about 2 minutes.  Continue to cook until lightly caramelized.  

In medium bowl combine all ingredients.  Let cool in refrigerator until serving, at least one hour.  

Notes

This dish can of course be made with any pasta or vegetables you prefer.  

While I was cooking I thought that a hot pasta may have been better.  You could marinade the chicken in the dressing, and then use some olive oil and fresh herbs to bring it together.  Grade the cheese to top or use some Parmesan.  

I Finally Did It!

I finally found cinnamon chips.  After looking in three super markets I started calling around and found them at AJ's Fine Foods.  Now that I'm back in Fort Worth I'll have to track them down again, but I did get to make the cinnamon chip bread.

What to say about this loaf?  I should have looked harder in my friend's house for loaf pans.  The recipe made two loaves, but I piled mine high in a round Pyrex dish.  As cool as it looked coming out of the oven it definitely had some flaws.  The biggest flaw being that the bottom burned and the middle was not quite done.  Day one the freshness let it slide a little bit by the next day the wonderful cinnamon flavor couldn't make up for the fact that some bites were bitter and others doughy.

So, if you want to make this from the original please don't be lazy like me.  Make two loaves.  It will be better. I promise.  But, I also think adding about 1/2-2/3 C. cinnamon chips to any white bread would work just as well as the one Marissa shared.

For all of you Great Harvest fans I say you need to try this out.

The Importance of Snacking

There are some moments in parenthood that are hilarious.  Some that are tender, frustrating, and dull.  And, some are terrifying.  Yesterday I had one of the terrifying moments.  C and I went to the park with some friends.  We sat on a bench by the pond, and I put C on the ground to walk around.  I gave her a snack cup filled with cereal so she could nibble as she went.  When I turned to look at her she was standing on the edge of the pond.  Like no space between water and sand.  Immediately I stood up to get her to move away, but  it was a moment too late and she stepped into the water and was instantly submerged.

It was the longest 5 seconds of my life.  I fell to the ground, reached my arm in, and pulled her up.  It took me like 10 minutes to stop shaking.  C was obviously shook up, but recovered much more quickly than I did.  Over the course of the day a thousand "what ifs" popped into my mind and I became eternally grateful that the events, as tragic as they were, had such a good outcome.

The amazing thing was that C was still holding onto her snack cup.  Her tiny fingers were clenched around it, and as soon as she felt safe on my lap she reached inside to pull out the soaked contents.  That is of course disgusting and I had to tear them away from her.  I replaced her cup with something from my bag.  Later that day I was thinking about how much she wanted those snacks.  It was like she needed it to calm down.

I've realized in myself that I'm a nervous eater.  I eat more when I'm in a stressful situation.  I'm aware of it, so it's not that bad.  But, I think there's something reassuring about food.  It makes you comfortable.  C wanted cereal after a near death experience.  I wanted chocolate chip cookies.

This is my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  They're good for snacking.

1 C. unsalted butter
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
3 C. flour
Chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter with granulated sugar.  Beat until pale.  Add brown sugar and then eggs and vanilla.
In separate bowl, mix salt, baking soda, and flour.  Add to creamed mixture and mix until combined.  Stir in your favorite chocolate chips, like a 12 oz bag.
Spoon onto baking sheet and bake about 8-10 minutes, depending on size.

    

Chicken with Coconut Sauce and Banana Cake

Pinterest Review #3 *

I finally got around to making this chicken.  I knew S would love it, so I wanted to make it a day he would be home for dinner.  Turns out that didn't happen a lot last week.  But, this chicken was well worth the wait.  Although this dinner took about 45 minutes to make, most of it was off hands: reducing sauce, roasting pepper.

Like most of what I do, I took this dish to a much less spicy zone.  Instead of an entire pepper I did 1/4.  C really liked it, and it let the sweetness of the coconut come through, but you really couldn't taste the jalepeno. I would suggest maybe 1/2 for a less spicy version.

If you're going for a budget meal, this is great.  It's only a couple of ingredients, you can use white rice instead of Basmati, and the sauce goes a long way.  It could easily be used for 5 or 6 chicken breasts.  I think this would be great for a night when you have a little more time than the busy nights, but if you want something low key.

Thanks, Bridget, for sharing your idea.  Get the recipe here.

* Picture from Bake at 350

Pinterest Review #4 *

First of all, let me say, I really did have every intention to make cinnamon chip bread.  I still think about it every day.  But, the store I'm currently shopping at doesn't carry cinnamon chips.  So, I need to do some digging before I can make them.  Hopefully it will happen soon.

But, this cake was a good replacement.  Patricia, at Butter Yum, shared this recipe.  I really like snack cakes.  I think there is something fabulous about having a sweet little something in the shape of a square.  Like all banana recipes, this is a perfect way to use leftover bananas.  I actually purposefully didn't eat our bananas so I could make this cake.

I like the combination of vanilla and banana.  I didn't have vanilla paste, so I used extract in the frosting.  It was good, but the vanilla bean flavor would have made it 100 times better.  If you don't have paste, you can always seep a vanilla bean in the cream before you make the frosting.  But, extract is an okay replacement.

Instead of measuring the bananas I used 3 small. The texture was changed a little bit because of it.  But, it made it spongier, almost like a bread pudding texture.  I liked it.  Again, go light on bananas if you want it a little more crumblier.

Lastly, this cake is a great blank slate.  You could replace the frosting with cream cheese or chocolate.  It would  be great with an almond streusel on top.  Swirl in some peanut butter.  It was a great treat.

* Picture from Butter Yum

Almond Red Bell Pepper Chicken Salad

Pinterest Review #2*

This chicken salad is from Simply Recipes.  Click here for the original recipe.  Because I roasted my own bell pepper and then added some wild rice it was a little more work than I was anticipating.  But, I really liked the simple but distinct flavors brought together.  You could definitely leave out my additions and it would be a fast weeknight meal.

I didn't have any chicken stock, so I poached the chicken in water with onion, carrot, and salt.  It worked fine.  But, make sure you cook gently or you'll be eating rubbery instead of tender chicken.  I was cooking for a friend ho doesn't like raw onions, so I sweated the red onions.  Also, I dumped the dressing and then realized it was too much for my taste.  I would recommend adding a little bit at a time.

Like any chicken salad, this keeps really well.  It would be a great salad made Sunday night and then used for lunches throughout the week.  Or, it would be a great pot luck dish.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Taquitos

Pinterest Review #1

These taquitos were very satisfying.  I liked the mix of cilantro, onion,  and spices.  When I made them I didn't measure perfectly, but seasoned to tasted.  I'm cooking for a one year old, so I went light on the cayenne.  But, go heavy if you like the heat.

When you build the taquitos you need to get into a zone.  Soaking the tortillas too long leads to soggy product, but not enough and they'll crack.  I wanted to overfill and the cheese melted out.  Even if it looks sparse it's probably enough.  Don't be afraid to roll them tight- it looks better.

I think this is a great week night dinner.  You could easily make the filling in bulk and freeze, or freeze the finished product and reheat in the oven.  Or, they would be great football party food.

Check out Naturally Ella for the recipe.  Enjoy!

A Week of Pinterest

This week I'm going to be featuring some Pinterest finds.  Here's my line up so far

Chicken in Spicy Coconut Sauce from Bake at 350

Black Bean Taquitos from Naturally Ella

Chicken Salad with Red Bell Peppers from Simply Recipes

Copy of Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip Bread from rae gun ramblings

More from my Pinterest to make may pop up as well, but this is what I currently have planned.  I'll post the results throughout the week.