Chickpea Salad with Cilantro Pesto

This salad is a really nice and light dish for a summer dinner and the cilantro pesto really gives it a good flavor kick. The original recipe called for only chickpeas but I wasn't sure if the texture of all those chickpeas was going to go over very well with my kids so I used one can of chickpeas and one can of cannellini beans just to add a texture they were used to. The beans were a good balance to the stronger taste and firmer texture of the chickpeas, but you could always substitute the beans and use all chickpeas. I served it hear with a citrus marinated grilled flank steak and some crusty french bread.

4          tbsp     extra-virgin olive oil

2          tbsp     fresh lemon juice

2          cups     loosely packed fresh cilantro

1          sm        clove garlic

1/2       tsp       ground cumin

1/2       tsp       hot paprika

1          cans     chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1          can       cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2          med     carrots, grated

1/4       cup      red onion, diced

In a food processor or blender combine olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika, 3 tbsp water, and 1/2 tsp salt; blend until smooth.

In a medium bowl toss the chickpeas, cannellini beans, carrots, scallions, the remaining 1 tbsp lemon juice and 3 tbsp of the pesto together until just coated. Season with salt and pepper.

 Adapted from: Food Network Magazine  |  September 2011

Enjoy!!!

 

Best Ever Banana Bread

I love lazy Sunday mornings! We usually spend it out on the back porch with a hot cup of coffee and something fresh out of the oven. This last Sunday, which happened to be Easter, we enjoyed these banana muffins right out of the oven while we watched E hunt for Easter eggs. It was a perfect Easter morning.
This banana bread is super moist; almost a cake consistency. It literally melts in your mouth. Add a little butter and you have heaven. You can give it a little crunch by adding nuts. Walnuts or pecans work best but  any kind you like will do. I have even had people tell me they add pumpkin seeds. To each their own, right.  I used to add walnuts but my kids won't eat it with the nuts included soooooooo, well you know, they got axed. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. They rarely last 15 minutes.

1/2       cup      margarine, softened

1          cup      sugar

2          lg         eggs

3          med     bananas, slightly over ripe

1 1/4    cup      flour

3/4       tsp       baking soda

1/2       tsp       salt

                        nuts, optional

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray muffin tins with oil or insert muffin liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl beat together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Next add the banana and beat on medium until most of the lumps are gone. Add the flour mixture beating until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Fold in the nuts (if using).

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Adapted from: Grandma Godfrey's recipe


Enjoy!!!

Chicken Fried Rice

I love Chinese food! That being said I don't like to make it at home because of the usually numerous ingredients needed to give a dish an authentic Asian taste. This recipe relies  more on the vegetable and only has two main flavor ingredients; soy sauce and sesame oil. With the chicken it's a meal all by it's self.

2                      eggs, beaten

1          tsp       soy sauce, plus 2 tablespoons

1         tsp        sesame oil, plus 1 tablespoon

1          clove    garlic, minced

1          tbsp     vegetable oil

1          rib        celery, thinly sliced

1/2       pint      Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

1/2       pint      mushrooms, sliced

2          cups     cooked white rice

1/2       pk        shoe string carrots

1/2       cup      frozen peas, thawed

2                      green onions, sliced

1          cup      rotisserie chicken, chopped

                        salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine eggs and 1 tsp. soy sauce, set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tsp sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and egg mixture; stir gently to scramble. When set, remove egg mixture from the wok and remove the wok from heat. Cut up any large pieces of egg mixture.

Pour vegetable oil into the wok. Return to medium-high heat. Add celery and sprouts; stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Add rice, carrots and peas; sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, stir-fry for 4 to 6 minutes, until heated through.

Add cooked egg mixture, green onions and chicken ; stir-fry about 1 minute, until heated through

           

Adapted from:  RECIPE. COM   |   Fall 2011

Enjoy!!!

Valentine's for Ellie's class

So valentine's day is right around the corner and for the first time in the history of me having children I am actually done with my daughters valentines  and not hastily  writing out those little cards the night before the class party. I really wanted to do something different this year so I went on Pintrest to get some ideas. WOW! There were so many cute and ingenious ideas it was really hard to pick just one. I am always amazed at what people come up with.  I went back and forth on several then let the boss pick which one she liked. E decided to go with the "I dig you" valentine we saw on  thefryfamilyblog.blogspot.com.

I couldn't find the exact same shovels at the store so I went with more of a scoop. They were a little more expensive than I would have liked but I didn't think I had enough time to order them off the internet. I got blue for the boys and pink for the girls. I think I will stock up on shovels for future projects in the summer when they are really cheap. I also went with jelly beans instead of M&M's, mostly just because I like them better :)

I really would have loved to buy the cute stamp cutters and do a fancier tag but I was already over my budget with the scoops so I opted for a little heart stamp and white tags instead. I'm hoping that as I start to do more of these little projects I will learn how to do them a little cheaper and build up my crafting supplies.

I think they came out very cute though and E is very pleased and excited about giving them to her friends as well.

I wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup

Earlier this week I purchased a gigantic bag of cilantro and it has been inspiring my dinners all week. Yesterday I made a soup using left over rotisserie chicken and a big handful of the cilantro. It came out really good with a decidedly Mexican flair to it and it was super easy. We topped it with homemade corn tortilla chips, cheese, avocado, and a little fresh cilantro. Yum.

2              tbsp       garlic, minced

1/2         lg             red onion

2-3                          carrots, chopped small

1              c              cilantro, chopped

8oz         can         tomato sauce

32oz       carton   chicken broth

1              can         corn

splash lime juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1/2         the meat off a rotisserie chicken, chopped

 

shredded cheese

avocado

extra cilantro for serving

Soup

In a large pot sauté garlic, onion, and carrot in olive oil until softened,  about 4 minutes. Add cilantro and cook 1 minute more. Add tomato sauce, broth, and lime juice. Cook until boiling then add corn, salt and pepper, and chicken. Cook until heated through.

Tortilla chips

canola oil

6 - 8        corn tortillas

salt

In a large pan heat oil until hot but not smoking.  Stack tortillas and cut into strips then cut strips in half. Add half the tortilla strips to the oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook until golden then flip over. Remove from pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat with second half.

To serve soup spoon into bowls and top with chips, cheese, avocado, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Cilantro Lime Quesdillas

TeckMan is out of town again this week, so it's just me and the girls at home.  Now, I don't know about you but for me this automatically means I don't feel like cooking,  because let's face it, the girls really don't care what I make as long as they are full at the end of it. But, I guess I still need to feed the monkeys, so armed with that most wonderful of modern marvels, the precooked rotisserie chicken, and a newly discovered gigantic bag of cilantro at Costco, I decided to throw together some quesadillas.

Quesadillas happen to be my go to for a quick meal I know the kids will eat without question and they are also really great for using up leftovers like bean salad or pretty much any kind of meat. Last night it happen to be chicken, and paired with the cilantro (my second favorite herb on the planet), a little onion, a splash of lime...ahhh yum!

I usually use the uncooked tortillas and grill them on the flat grill. I think they get a little crispier than the regular ones but, having said that, it takes a little longer to cook them. I guess it's up to you if it's worth the wait. I think it is.

Now, because I just threw these together I don't really have any measurements. Just be sure to think about how many people you have and make enough filling to accommodate.  I think sometimes the best creations come when you just throw a little of this and a little of that in anyway. It's always fun to experiment.

Filling

rotisserie chicken, chopped

big handful cilantro, chopped fine

red onion, chopped fine

sweet bell pepper, any color, chopped fine

avocado, chopped fine

splash of lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

flour tortillas

shredded cheese

Combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix well. 

I use a flat grill to make these because it allows me to make two at a time but you can use a fry pan as well, just make sure it doesn't get too hot or you'll burn the tortillas before all the cheese is melted. Cook  one side of the tortilla until lightly golden, about 10 to 20 seconds depending on which kind of tortilla you have, remove from pan. Place another tortilla on the grill and repeat . Flip over and layer cheese, filling, then cheese again. You don't need all that much cheese, just enough to hold the tortillas together. Top the filling with the remaining tortilla, uncooked side up. When the bottom tortilla is done flip over to cook the top tortilla.  Remove from pan and cut into four pieces. Serve with sour cream, taco sauce, or Tabasco sauce.

Enjoy!!!

A beautiful weekend in the country

So E and I found ourselves in the unusual position of being the only ones home this last weekend. TechMan was away on a business trip and my older kids were at their dads, which left E and I with a quiet house and a lot of free time. So, figuring that I could use the relaxation and E would enjoy a change of scenery, Friday afternoon I packed a small bag, loaded up the dog, picked E up from school and over the hills and through the woods to Grammy and Grandpa's house we went. Now when I say over the hills and through the wood that's exactly what I mean because their house lies on thirteen acres directly on the Trinity River that to get to you have to pass through a lot of meandering hills filled with cows and horses and a two and a half mile trek down a dirt road that literally winds through a forest.

This is our favorite place to go to when the hubby and I need to relax and unwind. It's a no makup, sitting on the back porch surrounded by nothing but the river, trees, and the occasional deer, kind of weekend; aaahhh, so peaceful. For the kids, it's about the fun. The kind of fun they can only get at Grammy and Grandpa's house. (I think that's just the coolest thing and the kind of memories they will remember forever.) 

It's about an hour and half drive, so we got there just in time for dinner. K had made a delicious chicken and wild rice soup that we ate out on the deck by the fire, while E played with Grampa's constellation app on his ipad that shows where all the stars and planets are in your part of the sky. (very cool technology)

You can find the recipe on the recipe page.

The next morning was a little chilly so we had our coffee by the fire again. E waisted no time getting on with the fun and she spent the better part of the day on her 4wheeler and doing crafting projects with Grammy in her art cabin. (Aren't you jealous, a whole cabin just for her crafting projects, I know I am!)

That's the cabin in the back.

That afternoon we decided to make cookies. E and I made these rosemary orange thumbprints that are... melt in your mouth... enjoy with a hot cup of coffee... totally mommy's, (and maybe daddies too, if you feel like sharing) divine. These aren't the cookies you make for the kids. These are the cookies you make when you have some girl friends coming over for afternoon coffee. 

These are without a doubt my favorite big girl cookies, at least for the moment.

You can find this recipe on the recipe page. 

E helped me with my cookies but she won't eat them so K helped her make these snicker doodles as well. (I didn't want her to feel left out while I was daintily chowing down on the rosemary thumbprint.)

 What else can you say about snicker doodles but "YUM". As cookies go, these are an all time favorite for the kids in my house, big and little. If you have never made them you should give it a try. They are supper easy and really, really yummy.

Sunday afternoon E and I said good buy to Grammy and Grampa and headed back to civilization, rounding out our wonderful weekend with a dinner out, just her and I. (Because who wants to cook after a weekend like this)

It was a great relaxing weekend, just what I needed to unwind after a busy holiday month, and as I sit here and write about it I am so looking forward to this afternoons cup of coffee and cookie. (Who am I kidding, it will probably be more like "cookies", as in 2,3... half a dozen. Who needs will power!)

Tell me where you go when you need to unwind.

Rosemary Orange Thumbprint Cookies

These are my favorite big girl cookies at the moment. Although marmalade is not one of my favorites, heating seems to take a lot of the bitterness out of it and it works really well with the rosemary, adding just a hint of sweetness. If your having girl friends over for afternoon coffee these would be the cookies to make. They are totally, melt in your mouth, divine.

1              cup         flour

1/2         cup         cornstarch
1              tsp          snipped fresh rosemary
1/4         tsp          salt
3/4         cup         butter, softened
1/3         cup         powdered sugar
1/4         tsp          almond extract
1/4         cup         orange marmalade
                              powdered sugar

In a small bowl combine flour, cornstarch, rosemary, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl beat the butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and almond extract; beat until well combined, about 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over beat.

With clean hands, form a ball with the dough, incorporating any flour left in the bottom of  the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Shape dough into 24 1 1/4 inch balls and arrange 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Using your thumb, make an indention in the center of each cookie and fill with about a 1/2 tsp of the marmalade.

Bake for about 14 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Cool  on wire racks then sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.

And yes, I did eat the three that are missing. Along with half a dozen others.

To store, layer between wax paper in an airtight container.

Yields: about 24 cookies

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies | 2011

Enjoy!!!

Mrs. Sigg's Snickerdoodles

These cookies are supper easy to make and never last long in my house. It's fun for the little ones as well because they get to get their hands dirty rolling the dough in the cinnamon and sugar. YUMMY!!!

1/2         cup         butter, softened

1/2         cup         shortening
1 1/2      cup         sugar
2                              eggs
2              tsp          vanilla
2 3/4      cup         flour
2              tsp          cream of tartar
1              tsp          baking soda
1/4         tsp          salt
2              tbsp       sugar
2              tbsp       cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar  on med-hi speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice.  Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat until well blended.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt, mixing well to incorporate. Add to butter mixture and beat until combined.

In a small bowl stir together remaining sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into balls and roll in the sugar-cinnamon to coat all sides and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 8 minutes for soft cookies or 10 for crunchy cookies.

As you can see they were a big hit with E. I think she ate a little more than half a dozen before we were done baking the whole batch. Each picture was a different cookie!

Good times!
Enjoy!!!

Yields:  about 48 cookies

Recipe gotten from:  allrecipes.com by Beth Sigworth

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup was recently made for us during one of our trips to my parents ranch house. My mom, K,  got the recipe out of her Taste of Home Classic Cookbook and OMG it is heavenly. With its creamy texture full of veggies, shredded chicken, and wild rice it is the definition of comfort food. It's not the most healthy soup, with all that 1/2 & 1/2 and butter, but every once in a while, on a really cold winters day, it's perfect. Add a salad or some hot buttered bread (your already in for all those calories why not go all the way) and you have a great cold weather meal. Just so you know, this recipe makes a huge amount, 10 to 12 servings. If you don't need quite that much you could always freeze half for another night or just cut the recipe in half.

 Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1              med       onion, chopped

2                              celery ribs, diced

2                              carrots, diced

1/2         cup         butter

1/2         cup         flour

4              cups       chicken broth

2              cups       wild rice

2              cups       1/2 and 1/2

2              cups       cooked chicken, diced

1              tbsp       fresh parsley

                salt and pepper to taste

In a big Dutch oven or soup pot, saute onion, celery and carrots in butter until onion is transparent. Reduce heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook until bubbly. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly to avoid getting lumps of flour. Bring to a boil; boil for one minute. Reduce heat and add rice cream, chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

New Year's Resolutions

So here we are once again. At the beginning of a brand new year, full of possibilities and new resolutions  for the future, rainbows and blah blah blah. I mean really, do people ever really keep up with the resolutions they make at the new year anyway.  I'm not a cynical person but seriously, it's just another year. With that being said, and not wanting  to come off like a complete scrooge,  in the spirit of new beginnings and all that, I suppose there are a few things I would like to change in my life. We all have some things we can improve on, right. So after much reflection I came up with a list of changes, improvements and things I would like to accomplish. Here are a few I deemed worthy, or should I say appropriate, for the blogosphere.

1.            For a while now I have only been posting recipes in an effort to whittle down my pile of magazines. It has been a little bit slow going because most of the time I forget to take pictures. I kind of get in a groove with cooking and before I know it it's almost time for E to get ready for bed and we have to eat quickly. That is one of the things I would like to change this year. I am re-implementing  (because I used to do this and somehow got out of practice with it) weekly menus so I can spend less time deciding what to make and thawing out meat (because I always forget to take it out of the freezer) and more time actually eating the dinner and enjoying time with my family, and oh yea taking some pictures.

2.            I would really love to post all the recipes I have clipped and put into a binder, that is now overflowing, so that I can have a one stop shop for all my menu planning forays . Having to sort through all those clippings really does take the fun out of menu planning.

3.            I went around the house and made a list of things I wanted to get  done for each room. Admittedly, it is kind of a long list especially because the house we are in is a little older and really could use some TLC and a smidge of updating. I am presenting Tech Man with the list tonight, which I am sure he will be just thrilled about. (hee hee hee)

4.            I am really going to try to make time to do more little projects with E. We did a few over the Christmas break and she really loved it; and we came away with some pretty cute things (of course I forgot to take pictures).

So I guess it's not so bad to be hopeful for the new year after all. Actually I'm kind of excited to get started and even as I'm writing this I have thought of other things I can add to the list. I think I'll start with the picture wall I have been trying to do for, oh, about two years now. My sister will be so proud of me. I'll let you know when it's done.

Tell  me what New Year's resolutions you have committed to.