Leslee’s Catch-Up Meal

A few nights ago we combined two more recipes for another new meal! First I made a version of the bacon-wrapped scallops using chicken and cooking the bacon with the chicken rather than wrapping it.  I cooked it in the skillet for awhile before transferring it to the  oven to finish cooking while I cooked some other things.  For the salsa I substituted Mango for Papaya because it was cheaper and looked good at the store.  I have never really bought or used mangos before so Sean helped we with the cutting of it.  The salsa was easy to make and I tested its flavor with a tortilla chip- very good! The mango was a bit mushy so the salsa’s appearance isn’t the best but it tasted good so that is okay.

Next up was the spinach, ham and beans.  For some reason I have never been able to find Pink Beans at the stores.  I know they exist because there was one can that had a mixture of pink beans, some other beans, and spices.  Anyway Summy and I decided to get Pinto Beans instead.  These seemed to work just fine! This recipe was quick and easy to follow and would have been easier if I would have used frozen instead of fresh spinach.  It took a while to snap off all the stems. 

I served these two dishes with some potatoes and it made a nice meal.  I really liked the mango-jalapeño salsa on the chicken but my favorite was the beans with ham and spinach.  It had such a good flavor, I really liked it!

Shallot-Lemon Butter Chicken and Strawberry Salad

This morning I loaded up the kids and we were finally able to make it to the grocery store to stock up on all the needed supplies to make the recipes for this week, last week, and the ones I am picking for next week! When dinner time rolled around I was a little short on time so I chose two of the recipes that seemed the quickest, the Shallot-Lemon butter flounder and the salad.  As I have mentioned before we aren’t big on seafood so I just used boneless skinless chicken breast and made it nice and thin as suggested in the book.  I cooked it up in the electric skillet and added the buttery mixture for the last few minutes.  I didn’t use quite as much butter as they suggested but it really added to the flavor! All three of us really enjoyed the chicken and the flavor was delicious! I really liked that combination of lemon, butter, shallots, and pepper.  This was so easy to make and I will have to use it again.

When making the strawberry salad I had to make a few substitutions.  Since we are moving soon I don’t want to buy new spices or condiments so I just made did with what we had.  For the strawberry preserves I used some freezer strawberry jam I had, but that might be about the same thing.  I also substituted red wine vinegar for sherry vinegar and honey mustard for the Dijon.  Mine mixed up pretty thick but it had a very nice flavor.  I am usually not a big fan of spinach in salad but this was perfect!

Jacki’s Review of Scallops, Roasted Squash and Salad with Strawberry-Sherry Vinaigrette

For those of you who have not made these dishes – you have something to look forward to!  We liked all three.   Starting off with the Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Jalapeno-Papaya Salsa – The cooking of this dish wasn’t so easy for me as it took longer than stated for the bacon and scallops to cook, especially the bacon.  The bacon shrunk so I just ended up unwrapping the bacon and laying it in the pan amongst the scallops to cook and when it was mostly done I put both the scallops and bacon in an ovenproof dish and finished cooking it in the oven.  (I don’t have an ovenproof skillet).  I just tried to wrap the bacon back around the scallops when I put them in the ovenproof dish.  The salsa was  delicious over the scallops.  I had to use mango instead of papaya because I went to two stores and neither had fresh or frozen papaya and I forgot to check for canned but I just picked up a couple of ripe mangos and it was very tasty.  This salsa was the perfect accompaniment for seafood.  Now on to the Roasted Butternut Squash with Cumin and Coriander – I bought already peeled and cubed fresh butternut since that squash is so hard you practically need a chainsaw to cut it!  A little pricy but worth it.  I used only about 1/2 tsp each of the cumin and coriander and omitted the cilantro at the end.  It had a really good flavor to it and went well with the scallops.  This was easy to prepare ahead.  And now for the final dish – Baby Spinach Salad with Strawberry-Sherry Vinaigrette.  I substituted another type of lettuce instead of the spinach since I had some I needed to use (bought it at the farmers market and not sure of the name).  I splurged and bought some nice sherry vinegar at whole foods (aged up to 15 years:) – it was worth it – so good!  The combination of the strawberries and the fresh lettuce and the Vinaigrette was REALLY good.  I also added some cucumber for crunch.  These recipes made for a good meal.  Hope some of you get a chance to try them.

Mango Salsa ready to serve.

 

Butternut squash roasting in oven

Plated meal before mango salsa so you can see bacon wrapped scallops. (well, kind of wrapped)

Final plated meal with the salsa – delicious and can’t get much more colorful than that unless you had some beets!

THIS WEEK'S RECIPES

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Jalapeno-papaya Salsa - Page 206

8 slices bacon
1 1/4 pounds sea scallops
wooden toothpicks if necessary
1 tablespoon olive oil

Jalapeno papaya salsa
1 medium ripe papaya, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp minced and seeded fresh jalapeno Chile pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 preheat oven to 400
2 halve the bacon slices crosswise and wrap one around each scallop. secure with a toothpick if necessary
3 heat the oil in large, oven proof skillet over medium heat. add the scallops and cook until the scallops are golden brown and the bacon is cooked, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the scallops are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes
4 meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients for Jalapeno papaya salsa
5 arrange the scallops on serving platter and top with the salsa

Roasted Butternut squash with Cumin and coriander - Page 255

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp ground pepper, plus more to taste

Add at the end
2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 preheat oven to 400
2 in large bowl , combine squash and all ingredients stir to coat. Transfer mixture to large baking sheet and roast until tender and browned, about 25 min.
3 transfer to serving bowl, add cilantro and lime juice season w/ salt pepper, toss to combine and serve.


Baby Spinach Salad with Strawberry-sherry vinaigrette - Page 279

6 cups baby spinach leaves, washed well
1 cup hulled and sliced fresh strawberries

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup strawberry preserves (seedless)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

1 arrange spinach in large serving bowl. Place the strawberry slices on top
2 In small bowl whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Pour over the spinach and strawberries just before serving.

Beef over egg noodles, salad with corn and mango rice pudding

We really liked this dish and the salad was delicious, my mom used to put corn in our salads I had forgotten how tasty it is. I followed the recipe pretty close (for a change) I decided to use beef shank for it's flavor and consistency - besides being cheaper- I always like shank for stews and saucy dishes. I cooked in the crock pot and added fresh herbs at the end. The rice pudding was amazing I even gave some to Alexandro's guitar teacher. I don't use instant rice so i made my regular recipe with coconut and condensed milk and just added the dried mango to it, hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........

Jacki’s Review of Flounder and Spinach/Beans

Yummmm.  This made for a good meal and we both liked it.  The Shallot-Lemon butter added a fresh, light taste to the fish and it
was so simple to prepare.  I didn’t have any fresh parsley so I used dried basil instead.  The braised spinach with pink beans and ham had a very good flavor and it was easy to prepare also so this meal was pretty quick to put together.  I followed the recipe as directed except I think I probably cooked it a bit longer than Robin called for just because my fish dish wasn’t finished yet.  I was surprised both recipes went so well together but they did.  I hope some of the rest of you get a chance to try these out.

Leslee’s Braised Beef

Last night we tried out the Braised Beef recipe and it was a success.  Mine turned out a little different look than my mom’s but I think it is mostly because I didn’t use tomato paste.  We aren’t a huge fan of tomato-ey sauces so I just put a few tablespoons of tomato sauce in to give a little flavor.  I also eliminated the mushrooms but added a bit more carrots and onions.  I thought I got stew meat at the store but when I was opening the package I noticed it was stir-fry beef which I figured was just fine.  It was in thin strips so it cooked up nicely and was very tender.  I made this meal in the Crockpot and it probably only took about 4-5 hrs on high.  We ate it over rice and it was delicious.  I mostly spooned out the chunky parts (carrots,onions, meat, etc) onto my rice with little sauce but Sean preferred to eat it in a bowl with lots more sauce.  The flavor reminded me of Beef Stew!

Summer enjoyed the rice…but thought the meat was too “picy” (spicy).  No wonder there is always so much rice on the floor when she gets done eating…

Super Sized Avocado and Corn Salad

I still am getting caught up on last week’s recipes because I didn’t get a chance to make them before Sean left on a little trip.  I didn’t want to try them out all by myself! Tonight I decided to do the Avocado and Corn Salad but make it into a meal.  I grilled up some chicken breast and also added some tomatoes and cheese.  I wasn’t too sure about the dressing since it had so much orange juice in it but I followed the directions and hoped for the best.  In the end the dressing was perfect for the salad! It was nice and light and refreshing! Sean enjoyed it as well.  Since it was kind of a light dinner we will have to dig into some ice-cream for dessert:) I plan on making the rest of the recipes tomorrow night. 

Recipes for Week of June 6 – 12

I am posting these recipes for Audrey – she was having trouble getting the blog to cooperate earlier.  They look quite tasty.

Pan-Seared Flounder with Shallot-Lemon Butter pg 224

Shallot-Lemon Butter

2 Tblsp unsalted butter, softened

2 Tblsp minced shallot

2 Tblsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tblsp fresh lemon juice

 

2 Tsp olive oil

4 flounder fillets (about 5 ounces each)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine butter, shallot, parsley, and lemon juice.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season both sides of the flounder fillets with salt and pepper.  Add the flounder to the hot pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side.  Add the butter mixture and cook until it makes a sauce and the fish is fork-tender, about 2 minutes.

 

Braised Spinach with Pink Beans & Ham  pg 254

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup diced baked ham

One 10-ounce bag fresh baby or regular spinach leaves, washed
well (coarse stems removed if using larger spinach leaves)

One 15-ounce can pink beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add the ham and cook, stirring a few times, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the spinach, beans, and broth, cover, and steam until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Jacki’s Review of Mushrooms w/ Garlic, Parmesan & Bread Crumbs

I am still behind on a few of the past recipes so I tried this one out today with our dinner since I had some mushrooms I needed to use up.  It was quite tasty – a nice variation of sauteed mushrooms.  I followed the recipe as directed and it was pretty simple and straightforward.  I served it as a side dish for some grilled chicken, corn on cob, wild rice pilaf and watermelon.

Ingredients prepped and assembled

Prepared mushrooms plated with the corn, grilled chicken and rice.

Jacki’s Review of Braised Beef, Greens w/ Avocado and Corn Salad, Mango Rice Pudding

These dishes made for a good meal in our house or at least I thought so.  I think Rich would have liked it better served over rice.  I followed the recipe as directed except instead of the red wine I just added a little extra beef broth and some splashes of red wine vinegar which gave it a good flavor.  I think next time I would add more mushrooms and carrots just to give it more vegetables.  I liked it over the egg noodles but I think it would be good over rice too.  For the salad I used romaine lettuce since I had a lot of it.  I liked the combination of the avocado, corn (I used thawed frozen corn), and olives – just a different twist on a dinner salad.  The citrus dressing was tasty too.  The Mango Rice pudding turned out to be a bit of a disaster for me but it tasted good in the end.  I tried to cook it in my rice cooker  with regular rice but I have an inexpensive one and it doesn’t like it when I try to cook it with anything thicker than broth or water.  It clicked off after just a few minutes so I stirred it a bit, put the lid back on and clicked it on again and left the room.  I heard it click after a bit and went in and most of the liquid was out of the cooker and all over the counter and some had stuck to the bottom of the cooker.  So, I put what was left into a saucepan and added milk and cooked it.  I didn’t really know how much milk to add since I wasn’t sure how much had boiled out.  I kid you not – I ended up cooking that rice pudding for another hour and a half!  I kept having to add more milk and it was cold so then it would have to heat back up and cook etc.  But…in the end when it was all done it was a little mushy but had a good flavor.  I plan to make it again using instant rice or regular rice but cook it in the saucepan.  Don’t let my ineptitude keep you from making it because it really is good.

Ingrid's white lasagne and Pesto Strudel Bites

The lasagna was excellent!!! I used the Quattro Formaggio bag from Trader Joes (Blend of Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and mild Provolone cheeses). I also had some fresh ricotta that I got at Pikes market in Seattle and that made all the difference so, so good and fresh. The boys liked it but they said that they prefer the spinach versus the zucchini =;) For the strudel I didn’t have any vegetables since I was getting ready to go out of town I didn’t want to purchase any, so I just used some homemade pesto and that was quite tasty the boys loved it!!! For me I found it to be a bit rich though.

Recipes for May 30 – June 5

Sorry for the late posting of this weeks recipes.  Hopefully some of you will be able to find the time to try them out and post a review.

Italian Braised Beef over Egg Noodles  pg 170

Mesclun Greens with Avocado & Corn in Citrus Vinaigrette   pg 280

5-Ingredient Sweet Rice Pudding with Mango  pg 297

Leslee's White Lasagna

Sean really likes Lasagna so I thought he would enjoy this recipe.  It is hard to find lasagna noodles that are gluten free so I just decided to make the regular gluten version for Sean and he could tell me how it was.  I made a few changes by using skim milk (it was all we had), cottage cheese for ricotta cheese and using regular lasagna noodles.  I was a little nervous the noodles would still be crunchy but Robyn Miller promised they wouldn't be so I put them in uncooked.  I also just made half a pan.  Everything was really easy to assemble and after reading my mom's review I decided to add some chopped spinach that I had in the freezer.  I think I used more mozzarella cheese than she suggested because you can never have too much of that! While it was cooking Sean joked that it better be as good as the red version and he said it was.  His only idea/suggestion was to add some ground sausage or pepperoni to it but then it wouldn't be as healthy.  I forgot to take a picture but it looked quite similar to my mom's!

Jacki’s Review of White Lasagna

We had the White Lasagne with Bechamel sauce last night for dinner and it was very good.  We both liked it and I will definitely make this again.  When I read through the recipe I was afraid it wouldn’t have much taste but it was perfect.  I followed the recipe as directed except I used black pepper instead of white.  The no-cook lasagna noodles cooked up perfectly.  I followed all of the cooking times exactly.   I was going to add some mushrooms but forgot so I sauteed them up and spooned them on top at serving time and they really were tasty.  When I make this again I will add more veggies.  I was thinking of shredded carrots, chopped broccoli and mushrooms.  Question for all of you – do you think I should steam them slightly before adding them to cheese mixture or do you think they would cook enough during the baking time in the directions?  The zucchini was plenty cooked but it is a softer veggie.  I am looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch today!

lasagna fresh out of the oven – looks a little bland I guess.

Served with watermelon, spinach, mango, mushrooms.

Chorizo baked beans, German Potato Salad and flank Steak

After reading Leslie’s review I decided to add eggs to the potato salad and also made homemade mayonnaise with Olive oil and vinegar to add a bit more flavor to it. The beans were amazing loved all the paprika flavor, I didn’t add ketchup though I didn’t think that it was necessary, I also misread the recipe and added a 18 ounce can of tomato sauce so I had to reduce the broth a bit before adding the beans. I marinated the flank steak in the olive garden salad dressing just added a bit of garlic salt and pepper and oh boy that was tasty. The boys loved the meal definitely a keeper. The beans are perfect for summer BBQs!!!

May 22 Recipes

First, I would like to say I enjoy reading about everyone’s experience with the recipes.  I have been making a lot of them but keep forgetting to post.  I will get on that.

 

Here is what I have chosen for this week.  Not too much left to choose from!

 

5-ingredient pesto-vegetable strudel bites page 35

white lasagne with bechamel sauce page 66

 

I think everyone has the book but if you need the recipes let me know and I will type them up for you.

Jacki’s Review of Beef, Beans and Potato Salad

We had “the meal” tonight.  I really liked the combination of flavors the three dishes offered (I am a food mixer – I like a little of everything in each bite).  I used a flat iron steak for the meat instead of filet mignon (less expensive).  I brushed the Worcestershire sauce on, sprinkled on the salt and pepper and let it sit for about an hour before I cooked it on the grill pan.  It was very tender and had a delicious flavor.  I followed the recipe as directed for the German potato salad except I ended up using a bit more olive oil and vinegar than called for to make it moist enough.  I liked the tangy flavor of it.  The beans were good too  and easy enough to make.  Rich thought they were a little too “tomatoey”.  It would probably be good with some favorite BBQ sauce instead of the catsup.  I used a bit of smoked paprika too.   I served the meal with corn on the cob and watermelon and it made for quite a nice meal – I was stuffed and had to go on a walk afterwards! 

Sorry I have not included an prep pictures – I forgot to take any.

Orange-Garlic Shrimp, Mushrooms and Strawberry smoothy

What a Great Marinade for Shrimp!!! Love it. Just before we left for church I mixed all the ingredients and marinated the shrimp, had all the mushrooms sliced so when we got home Christopher made a Salad, Leon grilled the Shrimp and I cooked the Mushrooms and voila!!!! Dinner as ready... The Mushroom dish was very good and I think that it is a great side dish for special events and holidays so easy and quick to make. The shrimp we are definitely going to have it during the summer I bet they would taste very good on top of a salad too.
Well for the Strawberry soup we just used our favorite yogurt brand “The Greek Gods” I promise you that once you taste this you won’t want regular yogurt again it is HAVENLY…..literally hahahahahah.
Anyways they just came out with a new flavor – Honey and Strawberry – So I used that one and still added the ½ teaspoon vanilla extracted suggested in the recipe. It was very refreshing but not something unusual for us since we always make smoothies during berrie season and especially during Oregon summers. If you decide to try this yogurt you should try the honey flavored with fresh raspberries……….hummmmmmmmmmmm.

Meatballs with Root beer BBQ Sauce, green beans and potatoes

As the sauce cooked on the stove Alexandro walked by and asked for a taste. He quickly suggested adding our favorite BBQ sauce to it (Head & Country). I decided to add ½ cup and I have to say that it made all the difference. I guess growing up in Brazil does not help one to like root beer. After 20 years in America I am still trying to like this mysterious drink. I also used fresh herbs for the meat balls and it was delicious. The boys (all 3) really enjoyed the meal with the green beans with pineapple vinaigrette and sautéed potatoes.

Baked Beans, Chicken, and Potato Salad

I decided to make this week's meal on Sunday since I have a little more time to prepare things on that day.  It was also nice weather to BBQ.  I went to the store the night before for supplies and didn't see any steaks that I liked at a good price so I just marinated some chicken in the Worcestershire sauce with some Italian salad dressing.  I let that marinade for several hours before grilling.  The beans were pretty easy to mix up and I followed the directions except using kidney beans instead of red beans.  I hadn't used the charizo sausage before and it was a little strange to work with.  I followed the potato salad as directed but used regular bacon instead of turkey bacon and omitted the scallions.  I made this ahead of time and served it cold.  Overall the meal went well together and was very tasty.  We weren't huge fans of the German Potato salad, it tasted a little vinegary and not much else. Maybe others will have better luck with it?

Recipes for 5/16-5/22

Beef Medallions with Chorizo Baked Beans pg. 177

*These baked beans are also amazing with burgers and grilled chicken breasts.

Chorizo Baked Beans

Two 15 oz cans red beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup diced chorizo or other cooked spicy sausage, such as andouille

1/3 cup minced onion

one 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

2 Tb brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

 

4 filets mignons

salt and cracked black peppercorns to taste

1 Tb Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp olive oil

1. To make the beans, in a medium saucepan, combine the beans, sausage, onion, tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and paprika.  Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, season both sides of the beef with salt and cracked pepper.  Brush the Worcestershire over both sides of the beef.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the steaks and cook for 3-5 minutes per side for medium doneness.  Serve the beef with the beans on the side. 

 

German Potato Salad pg 267

6 small to medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2 inch chunks

1/2 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts, about 6)

4 slices turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

3 Tb cider vinegar

1 Tb olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and pour over enough water to cover. Set the pan over high heat, bring to a boil, and let boil until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 8 min.  Drain, and while still warm, transfer to a large bowl.

2.  Add the scallions, bacon, vinegar, and oil and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.  Serve warm or chilled.

Success!

The food was really great. Starting with the shrimp, the orange and basil were a great complement, maybe next time I would rather use some fresh shrimp instead of the frozen ones I already had. For mushrooms I used some seasoned bread crumbs but combined with the Parmesan I think it was a little salty ( I didn´t add salt), so for the next time I would rather use some plain bread crumbs, even though it was pretty yummy. But my favorite one was the strawberry soup, it was very fresh and the vanilla extract gave it an awesome taste. The only change I made was that instead of fresh strawberries I used some cooked with sugar that I already had.

Recipes for the week of May 9th

Orange - Garlic Shrimp (Pag. 213)

1/4 cup orange juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/4 pounds large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. In a shallow dish, wisk together the orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes per side. Add the orange juice mixture and simmer until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil, and serve.

Mushrooms with Garlic, Parmesan & Bread Crumbs (Pag. 250)

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds button mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, plain or seasoned

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium- high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for 1 minute, until it's fragant. Add the bread crumbs and Parmesan and cook until the liquid evaporates and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Strawberry Soup (Pag. 292)

2 cups hulled and sliced fresh or thawed frozen strawberries

1 cup orange juice

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped topping as needed

Fresh mint sprongs (optional)

In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the whipped topping and mint and process until smooth, ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of whipped toppping. Garnish with mint if desired.