Last night after walking the dog I didn't feel like putting out too much effort over the stove, so I opted for one of Nick's favorites: chicken nuggets. These are a quick and easy weekday meal, and the extras make an awesome lunch. I paired this with some brown rice and saute'ed veggies (whatever you have laying around, sautee with garlic and a little oil, splash of vinegar).
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (or any other cut you prefer)
bread crumbs
buffalo sauce (i use Franks)
Cut the chicken up into bite sized pieces.
Pour some buffalo (BBQ works well here too!) into a bowl and dip the chicken pieces into the sauce.
Roll the chicken in the breadcrumbs, coating well.
Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. For easy cleanup, line the sheet with foil.
Adding the sauce before breading helps keep the chicken nuggets extra tender. They don't get super crisp, so if you prefer them that way, spray the pan lightly with olive oil and spray the tops of the nuggets once they're on the pan.
Boring? Yes. Easy? Absolutely!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
italian sausage soup
When I make soup, I MAKE SOUP. Soup is easy to reheat, freezes well, and if frozen right, takes up very little freezer space. I suck with the whole picture thing. Maybe I'll get one up tonight of the final product, but I keep forgetting to take pictures of the process. Besides, then I have to keep stopping and washing my hands to take a pic!
1lb italian sausage (pork or turkey, hot or sweet)
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4" in half moons
1/2 medium summer squash, cut into 1/4" in half moons
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 red 'frying' pepper, chopped
28oz canned diced tomatos
2 fresh tomatos, chopped
garlic, to taste (I used 7 huge cloves)
1-2 onions (I had 1 1/2, so I used that)
some kind of pasta (I used TJ's Healthy Harvest mix of orzo, quinoa and something else)
chicken stock, fat free, low sodium
fresh ground pepper.
italian seasonings (I have a pre-mix)
olive oil (I have the Misto, best invention ever)
Remove sausage from casing, if necessary. Squish around a little with your hands to get it to a more ground-like consistency.
Coarsely chop the garlic and onion. Add to an oiled skillet and saute a few minutes, until onions are almost translucent.
Add the sausage all at once and mix around in the pan. Use a spatula to break up the sausage as it cooks, so that it is more like ground sausage. Break it into as big or small pieces as you want.
Drain the sausage, garlic, onion mix and set aside. In same skillet, add peppers and zucchini and cook until just tender.
Place the sausage and pepper mixes in a large pot (a stock pot is best).
Add chicken stock to desired consistency. If you like a thick stew-like soup, use less. If you like a thinner soup, use more. I ended up using a little more than 64 oz. If you're going to add rice, or some kind of grain that will soak up water as it cooks, adjust the stock accordingly.
Sprinkle the top with pepper and italian seasoning. Bring to a boil.
Add pasta, or other grain. Simmer 20 mins.
Ladle into bowls and enjoy. We sprinkled the top of ours with parmesan cheese, and ate it with fresh baked bread I got at a small shop on the way home.
Soup can be frozen in containers, or in freezer bags. To freeze, let soup sit til cool (this will take awhile) and ladle into the proper container. If you're using freezer bags, freeze flat on a cookie sheet or on the bottom of the freezer to save valuable freezer space.
1lb italian sausage (pork or turkey, hot or sweet)
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4" in half moons
1/2 medium summer squash, cut into 1/4" in half moons
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 red 'frying' pepper, chopped
28oz canned diced tomatos
2 fresh tomatos, chopped
garlic, to taste (I used 7 huge cloves)
1-2 onions (I had 1 1/2, so I used that)
some kind of pasta (I used TJ's Healthy Harvest mix of orzo, quinoa and something else)
chicken stock, fat free, low sodium
fresh ground pepper.
italian seasonings (I have a pre-mix)
olive oil (I have the Misto, best invention ever)
Remove sausage from casing, if necessary. Squish around a little with your hands to get it to a more ground-like consistency.
Coarsely chop the garlic and onion. Add to an oiled skillet and saute a few minutes, until onions are almost translucent.
Add the sausage all at once and mix around in the pan. Use a spatula to break up the sausage as it cooks, so that it is more like ground sausage. Break it into as big or small pieces as you want.
Drain the sausage, garlic, onion mix and set aside. In same skillet, add peppers and zucchini and cook until just tender.
Place the sausage and pepper mixes in a large pot (a stock pot is best).
Add chicken stock to desired consistency. If you like a thick stew-like soup, use less. If you like a thinner soup, use more. I ended up using a little more than 64 oz. If you're going to add rice, or some kind of grain that will soak up water as it cooks, adjust the stock accordingly.
Sprinkle the top with pepper and italian seasoning. Bring to a boil.
Add pasta, or other grain. Simmer 20 mins.
Ladle into bowls and enjoy. We sprinkled the top of ours with parmesan cheese, and ate it with fresh baked bread I got at a small shop on the way home.
Soup can be frozen in containers, or in freezer bags. To freeze, let soup sit til cool (this will take awhile) and ladle into the proper container. If you're using freezer bags, freeze flat on a cookie sheet or on the bottom of the freezer to save valuable freezer space.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Refrigerator Pickles
Pickles are seriously my all time favorite food, so when I saw there were unlimited u-pick pickling cukes at the CSA this week, I went nuts. :)
I made some variations on this recipe, mostly because of my love for the wonder that is garlic. Find the freshest garlic and dill you can, and your recipe will improve immeasurably. These should be good for a month or more in the fridge.
9 cups water
6 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup salt
2 lbs. cucumbers
6-8 cloves garlic, or more to taste, coarsely chopped
fresh dill, coarsely chopped
black peppercorns
Cut cucumbers however you like them. I crinkle cut them since someone got me a handy-dandy tool that does that. Plain old coins would work, as would spears or halves. If you're using Kirby's, you could probably just stick them in whole.
Coarsely chop garlic (I used 11 cloves) and dill.
Layer cukes in a jar (or a Pyrex bowl or three, if thats what you have. Just make sure its not a container you'll want to use soon) and add the dill, garlic and peppercorns on top.
In a pot, bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. I used less than 1/2 cup salt because I find sea salt, which I love, to taste a bit saltier than kosher or table salt. At any rate, I don't recommend table salt anyway.
Pour hot brine over the cucumbers and let cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate for 4-5 days, then ENJOY.
Eggplant Ratatouille
This makes a ton of ratatouille and the recipe could easily be halved. I made it for a potluck lunch at work and I also wanted extras for lunch. The first night I served it hot over chicken, and my husband said it would work well over pasta. I had it cold for breakfast the next day and it was even more amazing. The garlic really developed overnight and the flavors meshed together so much better, if its possible. This recipe would probably have been way better with fresh tomatoes, but since i love them so much, I rarely have that many laying around. Since it was a huge batch and mostly for other people, i use canned.
Keep in mind that I don't measure when I cook for the most part, so spices, etc. should be added to taste. :)
2 eggplants (approximately 4 cups) peeled and cubed
1 medium summer squash
1 medium zucchini
2 medium onions
fresh garlic, peeled and chopped, to taste (i used 8 cloves cause i LOVE garlic)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
olive oil
42 oz of canned diced tomatos
italian seasoning, to taste
salt, to taste (sea salt grinder is awesome here)
pepper, to taste (ditto, fresh ground)
1) In a skillet, heat the oil and add the onion, summer squash, peppers, zucchini, and garlic. saute until just tender and the onions are somewhat translucent.
2) Throw all of the sauteed items in a big pot (trust me here, BIG), and add the eggplant, tomatoes, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer until eggplant is tender. Plate with pasta, chicken, or any other thing you can think of.
YUM!
From now on I'll try to take pictures of things as I cook them. I'm not a great food phototgrapher, but I'll do my best.
Keep in mind that I don't measure when I cook for the most part, so spices, etc. should be added to taste. :)
2 eggplants (approximately 4 cups) peeled and cubed
1 medium summer squash
1 medium zucchini
2 medium onions
fresh garlic, peeled and chopped, to taste (i used 8 cloves cause i LOVE garlic)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
olive oil
42 oz of canned diced tomatos
italian seasoning, to taste
salt, to taste (sea salt grinder is awesome here)
pepper, to taste (ditto, fresh ground)
1) In a skillet, heat the oil and add the onion, summer squash, peppers, zucchini, and garlic. saute until just tender and the onions are somewhat translucent.
2) Throw all of the sauteed items in a big pot (trust me here, BIG), and add the eggplant, tomatoes, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer until eggplant is tender. Plate with pasta, chicken, or any other thing you can think of.
YUM!
From now on I'll try to take pictures of things as I cook them. I'm not a great food phototgrapher, but I'll do my best.
Welcome!
Tasty Noms is the cooking blog for me, Karen! In the past six months I've gotten really interested in cooking, and in May I decided to join a CSA (community supported agriculture). Having new and interesting and fresh veggies every week has taken my cooking to a whole new level.
I'm pretty much a beginner cook, and most of my posts will likely be pretty easy recipes to start with. I have a very picky husband to contend with, and he hates veggies, so I often have to find interesting and new ways to prepare them.
Hope you enjoy!
I'm pretty much a beginner cook, and most of my posts will likely be pretty easy recipes to start with. I have a very picky husband to contend with, and he hates veggies, so I often have to find interesting and new ways to prepare them.
Hope you enjoy!
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