It's been really muggy here for the past two days, so I haven't really felt like cooking. Turning on the stove or oven would be agony. And while we could have microwaved something, the idea of putting warm food in our bellies was 100% unappealing.
So today when the humidity broke, I decided to take full advantage and use the stove. I also had some ground turkey in the fridge that I'd totally forgotten about (thanks for reminding me, Aric!) and needed to use up before it went bad.
It's about time to go grocery shopping, so my choices are limited. I briefly considered making a meatloaf (I have a kickass recipe for turkey meatloaf, which I'll share at a later date), but I just wasn't feeling it. Then it hit me - turkey ball soup!
Turkey ball soup began as a 30-minute recipe by Rachel Ray. Her recipe is good, but I've been able to customize it a bit to my preferences. I'll cover the changes I've made a little bit later ("turkey ball soup" will make a lot more sense when I'm done, I promise).
So now, with no further ado, I present you with...
DOUBLE DUMPLING CHICKEN STOUP (by Rachel Ray)
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. EVOO
4 celery ribs from the heart, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cups store-bought shredded carrots
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
Salt and pepper
6 cups chicken stock
1 lb. ground chicken
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 package gnocchi
1 cup frozen peas
Parsley, finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Heat the EVOO in a large soup pot over medium to medium-high heat.
2) Add the celery, onions, carrots, and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper, and cook for about five minutes, until the onions become soft.
3) Add the chicken stock, cover, and bring to a gentle boil.
4) While the stock comes to a boil, combine the ground chicken, salt, pepper, egg, bread crumbs, nutmeg, and cheese.
5) Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls and gently drop them into the boiling stock. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
6) Add the gnocchi to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, or until they float to the surface.
7) Add the peas and parsley, and cook for 2 minutes longer.
8) Turn the heat off and allow the "stoup" to sit for a few minutes, to cool off and thicken.
9) Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
WHAT I DO DIFFERENTLY
1) I have never been able to find ground chicken in my grocery store. I can, however, find ground turkey (and it's frequently on sale), so that's what I use - thus "turkey ball soup" was born.
2) I hate chopping carrots, so I usually use frozen peas and carrots, and just add them when it says to add the peas. Bigger chunks of carrot might be nice, but lazy wins out in this case.
3) Rachel Ray says you can find gnocchi in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. I have never seen gnocchi anywhere other than the international/pasta aisle.
4) Another note about the gnocchi - normally I use plain potato gnocchi, but I was in Horrocks the other day and found some basil gnocchi, so I decided to give that a try.
5) This is the first time I've ever used the bay leaf. I've never had bay leaves - I always thought they were too expensive. But the other week McCormick's spices went on sale, so I picked up some spices that I'd normally done without. The soup is delicious either way, so if you prefer not to fish around for a tiny little leaf in your soup, feel free to omit.
6) I usually don't use cheese in the meatballs. I never kept cheese in the house, and now that I live with Aric, we typically only have American sliced cheese. But again, I was at Horrocks and found some parmesan cheese with peppercorns in it, so I bought it, and used it in the meatballs. Fancy! Anyway, you aren't missing anything if you don't put cheese in the meatballs, so don't worry.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It's a little expensive to get all of the components for this soup, but sweet fancy pants, is it ever delicious! You can go as fancy or as lazy as you want with this soup, and it will taste like you slaved over the stove for hours.
This is also an incredibly filling soup - excuse me, stoup (so called because it is more stew-like than it is soup-like). I don't like watery soups with nothing to them. I really hate drinking just broth. Turkey ball soup is incredibly hearty, and only gets better the longer it sits in your fridge.
Thank you, Rachel Ray!
5/27/09
Adventures in Cooking - Hummus
I am a nut for garbanzo beans. Always have been, always will be. I suspect part of my love of garbanzo beans is the name - garbanzo. It's funny, and makes me think of Gonzo from The Muppets.
When I was little I called them chick peas, because I guess "garbanzo" was hard to say. It took me awhile to realize that the two are the same thing, actually.
I've also liked hummus for awhile. I found it in the grocery store one day and got really curious. It didn't look especially appetizing, but how do you turn down garbanzos and garlic? It's a match made in heaven, really.
Ever since I got my baby food processor (with the plans of making pesto - which never happened), I've been itching to make some hummus. All the recipes I found called for tahini, which is crazy expensive where I live. I can't justify spending that much money for a dip (even one that I love enough to marry). I mean, I could buy store-made hummus cheaper than I could buy the tahini, nevermind the rest of the ingredients.
So when I found the recipe for tahini-free hummus, OF COURSE I had to try it!
BASIL AND PESTO HUMMUS
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 oz.) can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. EVOO
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Combine garbanzo beans, basil, and garlic in food processor. Pulse several times.
2) Use a spatula to push mixture from the sides of the bowl.
3) Pulse mixture again while drizzling in the olive oil.
4) Add the vinegar and soy sauce. Pulse until combined.
5) Season with salt and pepper.
6) Serve and enjoy!
WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY
This recipe needs a LOT more EVOO to really come together. I don't have an exact measurement of how much I used - I just kind of poured it in until the consistency looked right.
The hummus also needed a little punch to kind of brighten it up, so I squeezed in a little lemon juice - I squeezed in the juice from 1/4 of a lemon. It really helped everything go to a whole other level. It was complex without being overpowering or too heavy. Really tasty.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Easy easy easy to make. Relatively cheap, too. I plan on gifting this to friends, it is so easy and delicious.
When I was little I called them chick peas, because I guess "garbanzo" was hard to say. It took me awhile to realize that the two are the same thing, actually.
I've also liked hummus for awhile. I found it in the grocery store one day and got really curious. It didn't look especially appetizing, but how do you turn down garbanzos and garlic? It's a match made in heaven, really.
Ever since I got my baby food processor (with the plans of making pesto - which never happened), I've been itching to make some hummus. All the recipes I found called for tahini, which is crazy expensive where I live. I can't justify spending that much money for a dip (even one that I love enough to marry). I mean, I could buy store-made hummus cheaper than I could buy the tahini, nevermind the rest of the ingredients.
So when I found the recipe for tahini-free hummus, OF COURSE I had to try it!
BASIL AND PESTO HUMMUS
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 oz.) can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. EVOO
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Combine garbanzo beans, basil, and garlic in food processor. Pulse several times.
2) Use a spatula to push mixture from the sides of the bowl.
3) Pulse mixture again while drizzling in the olive oil.
4) Add the vinegar and soy sauce. Pulse until combined.
5) Season with salt and pepper.
6) Serve and enjoy!
WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY
This recipe needs a LOT more EVOO to really come together. I don't have an exact measurement of how much I used - I just kind of poured it in until the consistency looked right.
The hummus also needed a little punch to kind of brighten it up, so I squeezed in a little lemon juice - I squeezed in the juice from 1/4 of a lemon. It really helped everything go to a whole other level. It was complex without being overpowering or too heavy. Really tasty.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Easy easy easy to make. Relatively cheap, too. I plan on gifting this to friends, it is so easy and delicious.
Adventures in Cooking - Salad Dressing
My boyfriend and I decided to try our hands at gardening. I don't rightly recall the reason - I think it just seemed like a good idea at the time.
I won't speak for Aric, but I am notoriously bad at plants. I try to take care of plants and they die. I leave plants alone and they die. It's frustrating, to say the least.
Aric found this really cool book called Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. It is about the best thing ever. Basically what you do is build a 4' square box, then divide it up into square feet, and plant in each square foot. You get a lot of crops in a conveniently small space (it's also great because you don't have to lean way over to weed or harvest or anything).
We've got a nice variety of plants: tomatoes, a few kinds of peppers, cantaloupe, strawberries, basil, thyme, celery, and about three kinds of lettuce. The lettuce is growing like MAD, so we picked off some of the largest, outer-most leaves and had ourselves a salad.
In my last post I believe I said that I wanted to make a salad dressing for this particular salad, so that's what I did. I spent about half an hour looking for salad dressings that didn't start off with "1 cup mayo" or "1 cup sugar" - a dairy allergy is bad enough, but I don't need to hopped up on sugar to boot.
Thankfully, other cooks out there feel similarly, and I was able to find a variety of dairy-and-sugar-free salad dressings. (isn't that how it should be anyway?)
"SIMPLE SICILIAN" SALAD DRESSING
INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp. EVOO
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Mix all ingredients in a small bowl; pour over salad.
WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY
I think I added a little lemon juice. It just needed a little bit more of a zing to it (becaue somehow vinegar isn't "zing-y" enough for me).
I also think I would go a little easier on the oregano, or at least use fresh stuff. The dried flakes just looked kind of unappetizing floating on the top of the mixture. It didn't look bad on the salad, so I guess that's something.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Bottled salad dressing is SO last week.
I won't speak for Aric, but I am notoriously bad at plants. I try to take care of plants and they die. I leave plants alone and they die. It's frustrating, to say the least.
Aric found this really cool book called Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. It is about the best thing ever. Basically what you do is build a 4' square box, then divide it up into square feet, and plant in each square foot. You get a lot of crops in a conveniently small space (it's also great because you don't have to lean way over to weed or harvest or anything).
We've got a nice variety of plants: tomatoes, a few kinds of peppers, cantaloupe, strawberries, basil, thyme, celery, and about three kinds of lettuce. The lettuce is growing like MAD, so we picked off some of the largest, outer-most leaves and had ourselves a salad.
In my last post I believe I said that I wanted to make a salad dressing for this particular salad, so that's what I did. I spent about half an hour looking for salad dressings that didn't start off with "1 cup mayo" or "1 cup sugar" - a dairy allergy is bad enough, but I don't need to hopped up on sugar to boot.
Thankfully, other cooks out there feel similarly, and I was able to find a variety of dairy-and-sugar-free salad dressings. (isn't that how it should be anyway?)
"SIMPLE SICILIAN" SALAD DRESSING
INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp. EVOO
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Mix all ingredients in a small bowl; pour over salad.
WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY
I think I added a little lemon juice. It just needed a little bit more of a zing to it (becaue somehow vinegar isn't "zing-y" enough for me).
I also think I would go a little easier on the oregano, or at least use fresh stuff. The dried flakes just looked kind of unappetizing floating on the top of the mixture. It didn't look bad on the salad, so I guess that's something.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Bottled salad dressing is SO last week.
5/25/09
Adventures in Cooking - Fruit Salad
I used to watch Pee Wee's Playhouse all the time as a kid. I don't watch it anymore, but that's because I don't own any episodes. If I could afford to buy a box set, I totally would. I loved that show like no other.
My most vivid memory of Pee Wee's Playhouse was the episode where Pee Wee was having a sleepover with all of his friends. They were all eating fruit salad, and enjoying it very much.
"I love fruit salad!" exclaimed Pee Wee.
"Well, why don't you marry it?" was the traditional response to such a statement.
Instead of laughing it off, Pee Wee looked right into the camera and said, "I think I will!"
Cut to a shot of an impromptu, but lavish, wedding ceremony between Pee Wee and his beloved fruit salad. The fruit salad had a veil and everything. I don't remember who was officiating the ceremony - I think it might have been Cowboy Curtis.
My love of fruit salad rivals that of Pee Wee's love. And I'm not talking about that fruit cocktail crap that comes in the can, where all the fruit is mushy and it floats around in that disgusting syrup. Although I did love it as a kid (my brother and I always fought over who got the last cherry), my tastes and nutritional concerns have changed somewhat.
Aric and I make fruit salad about once a week. We go to Horrocks and stock up on all the supplies - I can make fruit salad for under $10 at most, and it will last a week or so. It's taken us a few months to perfect the ingredients, but we've got it down.
FRUIT SALAD
INGREDIENTS
Cantaloupe
Strawberries
Blueberries
Red/purple grapes
Pineapple
A NOTE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
I'm not including amounts, because it varies depending what's on sale. Usually, though, we use on cantaloupe, two pints of strawberries, two pints of blueberries, one bag of grapes, and one column of ringed pineapple.
We've found that if you let the fruits sit for a few days before you cut them up, they get all ripe and sweet. And if you let the pineapple sit in with the other fruits for a little bit before you serve, it sucks up the strawberry juice and becomes something truly amazing.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Chop all of the ingredients into bite size pieces.
2) Mix together in a large serving bowl.
3) Enjoy!
THE BOTTOM LINE
Super versatile - as are most of my recipes, I'm finding. Really fresh and delicious, too - Aric and I are actually trying to grow strawberries and cantaloupes, so we don't have to go to the store as much. So far the strawberries are growing, but the cantaloupes are a little shy.
I've found that I like to put some plain soy yogurt on top of my fruit salad (I'm allergic to dairy, otherwise I'd use regular yogurt). It's a nice way to bulk it up for breakfast. That and the yogurt mixes with the strawberry juice really beautifully.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Aric and I "harvested" some lettuce from our little garden, so I'm looking up tasty salad dressing recipes. I can't bear to put pre-fab dressing on something that we grew with our own two hands.
I'm also hoping to find a yummy pasta salad recipe, one that hopefully includes beans. I'm trying to eat more beans because they're good for you, they're cheap, and they're just plain tasty.
My most vivid memory of Pee Wee's Playhouse was the episode where Pee Wee was having a sleepover with all of his friends. They were all eating fruit salad, and enjoying it very much.
"I love fruit salad!" exclaimed Pee Wee.
"Well, why don't you marry it?" was the traditional response to such a statement.
Instead of laughing it off, Pee Wee looked right into the camera and said, "I think I will!"
Cut to a shot of an impromptu, but lavish, wedding ceremony between Pee Wee and his beloved fruit salad. The fruit salad had a veil and everything. I don't remember who was officiating the ceremony - I think it might have been Cowboy Curtis.
My love of fruit salad rivals that of Pee Wee's love. And I'm not talking about that fruit cocktail crap that comes in the can, where all the fruit is mushy and it floats around in that disgusting syrup. Although I did love it as a kid (my brother and I always fought over who got the last cherry), my tastes and nutritional concerns have changed somewhat.
Aric and I make fruit salad about once a week. We go to Horrocks and stock up on all the supplies - I can make fruit salad for under $10 at most, and it will last a week or so. It's taken us a few months to perfect the ingredients, but we've got it down.
FRUIT SALAD
INGREDIENTS
Cantaloupe
Strawberries
Blueberries
Red/purple grapes
Pineapple
A NOTE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
I'm not including amounts, because it varies depending what's on sale. Usually, though, we use on cantaloupe, two pints of strawberries, two pints of blueberries, one bag of grapes, and one column of ringed pineapple.
We've found that if you let the fruits sit for a few days before you cut them up, they get all ripe and sweet. And if you let the pineapple sit in with the other fruits for a little bit before you serve, it sucks up the strawberry juice and becomes something truly amazing.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Chop all of the ingredients into bite size pieces.
2) Mix together in a large serving bowl.
3) Enjoy!
THE BOTTOM LINE
Super versatile - as are most of my recipes, I'm finding. Really fresh and delicious, too - Aric and I are actually trying to grow strawberries and cantaloupes, so we don't have to go to the store as much. So far the strawberries are growing, but the cantaloupes are a little shy.
I've found that I like to put some plain soy yogurt on top of my fruit salad (I'm allergic to dairy, otherwise I'd use regular yogurt). It's a nice way to bulk it up for breakfast. That and the yogurt mixes with the strawberry juice really beautifully.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Aric and I "harvested" some lettuce from our little garden, so I'm looking up tasty salad dressing recipes. I can't bear to put pre-fab dressing on something that we grew with our own two hands.
I'm also hoping to find a yummy pasta salad recipe, one that hopefully includes beans. I'm trying to eat more beans because they're good for you, they're cheap, and they're just plain tasty.
Adventures in Cooking - Garlic Bread
I wanted to challenge myself with this blog to cook something new everyday and write about it.
Well...yesterday wasn't that great, kitchen-wise. I spent some time cleaning all of the dishes that had piled up - as much as I love cooking, I hate the cleanup.
Dinner came around and Aric wanted to grill. We picked up some ribeye steaks from Meijer super cheap, and asparagus was on sale, so he grilled those. Tried a steak rub from Rachel Ray's magazine and it wasn't that great. Aric grilled the asparagus in garlic butter, which is apparently delicious. I don't know. Asparagus reminds me too much of broccoli stems, something that I am none too fond of.
My job was to bake some garlic bread. Normally I'm really great at it, but this was not my day. I stepped on SOMETHING super sharp and cut my foot open (normally I wear my slippers in the kitchen, but this was the one day that I didn't). While I was doctoring my foot, the garlic bread burned. I had just turned the broiler on to crisp up the cheese, and in my attempts to fix my foot, the bread burned in a really nasty way.
Aric ate the bread, and he said it tasted ok. I was too upset to really try it.
At any rate, it's a good recipe, when you're not bleeding all over the place. So I'll share it.
GARLIC BREAD
1 loaf french bread (I use whole grain french bread)
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
Parsley
Cheese (optional)
A NOTE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
I usually eyeball this recipe. The amount of butter I use depends on two things: the amount of bread I'm using (I usually only do half a loaf, since it's just the two of us), and how big the stick of butter is at that point in time. I'd say I use about 1/4 stick of butter for half of the bread, but again, it all depends on how much I want and (more importantly) how much I've got left.
The same goes for the garlic and parsley. I just kind of add until it looks right. Admittedly, I am garlic-happy, so I probably add more than the average human being.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Slice bread in half, then in half again, horizontally.
3) Soften butter in microwave (about 10 seconds).
4) Stir in garlic and parsley.
5) Spread butter on bread, coating evenly.
6) Bake bread in oven for about 10 minutes, or until butter is melted and bread is slightly crispy.
7) If desired, add shredded cheese and put under broiler for a few minutes, until cheese is melted.
8) Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
THE BOTTOM LINE
What's nice about this recipe is that it's easy, delicious, and versatile. You can use as much or as little butter and garlic as you like. You can use fancy cheese to top it, if you like. Sometimes I use fancy garlic cheeses from Horrocks. Last night I tried pepper corn cheese - it might have been delicious in another life.
I can sum up my feelings about this garlic bread in one sentence: I will never use frozen, store-bought garlic bread ever again.
And that's all that really needs to be said, I think.
Well...yesterday wasn't that great, kitchen-wise. I spent some time cleaning all of the dishes that had piled up - as much as I love cooking, I hate the cleanup.
Dinner came around and Aric wanted to grill. We picked up some ribeye steaks from Meijer super cheap, and asparagus was on sale, so he grilled those. Tried a steak rub from Rachel Ray's magazine and it wasn't that great. Aric grilled the asparagus in garlic butter, which is apparently delicious. I don't know. Asparagus reminds me too much of broccoli stems, something that I am none too fond of.
My job was to bake some garlic bread. Normally I'm really great at it, but this was not my day. I stepped on SOMETHING super sharp and cut my foot open (normally I wear my slippers in the kitchen, but this was the one day that I didn't). While I was doctoring my foot, the garlic bread burned. I had just turned the broiler on to crisp up the cheese, and in my attempts to fix my foot, the bread burned in a really nasty way.
Aric ate the bread, and he said it tasted ok. I was too upset to really try it.
At any rate, it's a good recipe, when you're not bleeding all over the place. So I'll share it.
GARLIC BREAD
1 loaf french bread (I use whole grain french bread)
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
Parsley
Cheese (optional)
A NOTE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
I usually eyeball this recipe. The amount of butter I use depends on two things: the amount of bread I'm using (I usually only do half a loaf, since it's just the two of us), and how big the stick of butter is at that point in time. I'd say I use about 1/4 stick of butter for half of the bread, but again, it all depends on how much I want and (more importantly) how much I've got left.
The same goes for the garlic and parsley. I just kind of add until it looks right. Admittedly, I am garlic-happy, so I probably add more than the average human being.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Slice bread in half, then in half again, horizontally.
3) Soften butter in microwave (about 10 seconds).
4) Stir in garlic and parsley.
5) Spread butter on bread, coating evenly.
6) Bake bread in oven for about 10 minutes, or until butter is melted and bread is slightly crispy.
7) If desired, add shredded cheese and put under broiler for a few minutes, until cheese is melted.
8) Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
THE BOTTOM LINE
What's nice about this recipe is that it's easy, delicious, and versatile. You can use as much or as little butter and garlic as you like. You can use fancy cheese to top it, if you like. Sometimes I use fancy garlic cheeses from Horrocks. Last night I tried pepper corn cheese - it might have been delicious in another life.
I can sum up my feelings about this garlic bread in one sentence: I will never use frozen, store-bought garlic bread ever again.
And that's all that really needs to be said, I think.
5/22/09
Adventures in Crock Pottery - Curry Chicken
There's nothing better than coming home and having dinner ready and waiting for you on the counter. There's also nothing better than winning the lottery, but that's not really in the cards for me (at least not today).
Allow me to preface this entry by saying that I've not had good luck with crock pots. My boyfriend has even worse luck than I do (sorry Aric, but you know it's true). I don't know how we do it, but stuff in the crock pot just doesn't have that warm, tasty, delicious, comforting quality that other peoples' crock pots spit out.
I made lentil soup in the crock pot a few weeks ago (because I was still trying to figure out what to do with the damn lentils), and it was not pretty. Everything was kind of floating on its own, the soup didn't really come together in a soup-y way, and, to top it all off, the lentils were still hard and dry. They hadn't absorbed any water, and they'd been cooking on high for EIGHT HOURS.
So yeah. Crock pots? Not really my thing.
But I am stubborn, if nothing else, and rarely learn from past mistakes. So when I found a recipe for crock pot chicken curry, I had to try it.
Guess what, you guys?
IT'S FREAKING AMAZING!
I work 10am - 6pm, and my boyfriend works 2pm - 9pm, so he threw it together before he went to work, so it could cook for the allotted "3-5 hours." He actually texted me to tell me how it went. His description?
"It smells good but looks like vomit. Perfect crock pot meal!"
See? We both have a similar way with words. Farts and vomit, folks, that's all you're getting out of us!
Anyway, I came home and the house smelled sweet and spicy and wonderful. I lifted the lid, gave the stuff a stir, and had a sample spoonful. I had a lot of trouble not eating it all while I waited for my rice to cook. (I refuse to use minute rice - it's just creepy. I mean, what do they put in it that it can cook that quickly???)
And now, what you've all been waiting for...the main event!
CROCKPOT CHICKEN CURRY
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup onion
1 cup tomato
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tbsp. ginger powder
2 tbsp. rosemary
3 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground red chili pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Dice chicken, onion, and tomato.
2) Mix all of the ingredients together in the crock pot.
3) Cook on low for 3-5 hours.
4) Serve over rice.
WHAT ARIC DID DIFFERENTLY
1) We don't have tomatoes yet (the garden isn't quite ready), so he used half a can of diced tomatoes.
2) We don't have rosemary, either, so we substituted 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/2 tsp. tarragon. Did you know that there are whole websites devoted to herb and spice substitutions??? Perfect for someone like me, who rarely reads the instructions fully to make sure she has everything before she gets halfway through and goes "oops, I don't have that."
3) Bottled lime juice is just as good as squeezing limes, in my opinion. I can't taste the difference. So how do I know he used bottled juice? I saw the squeezey lime in the kitchen trash.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This dish is mighty tasty and mighty easy to prepare. The cooking time is a little weird - you could probably leave it going for 8 hours, since that's a normal workday, but I don't know.
And it really is the perfect crock pot dish - smells and tastes yummy, but looks like something your stomach rejected upon arrival.
This recipe is a keeper!
Allow me to preface this entry by saying that I've not had good luck with crock pots. My boyfriend has even worse luck than I do (sorry Aric, but you know it's true). I don't know how we do it, but stuff in the crock pot just doesn't have that warm, tasty, delicious, comforting quality that other peoples' crock pots spit out.
I made lentil soup in the crock pot a few weeks ago (because I was still trying to figure out what to do with the damn lentils), and it was not pretty. Everything was kind of floating on its own, the soup didn't really come together in a soup-y way, and, to top it all off, the lentils were still hard and dry. They hadn't absorbed any water, and they'd been cooking on high for EIGHT HOURS.
So yeah. Crock pots? Not really my thing.
But I am stubborn, if nothing else, and rarely learn from past mistakes. So when I found a recipe for crock pot chicken curry, I had to try it.
Guess what, you guys?
IT'S FREAKING AMAZING!
I work 10am - 6pm, and my boyfriend works 2pm - 9pm, so he threw it together before he went to work, so it could cook for the allotted "3-5 hours." He actually texted me to tell me how it went. His description?
"It smells good but looks like vomit. Perfect crock pot meal!"
See? We both have a similar way with words. Farts and vomit, folks, that's all you're getting out of us!
Anyway, I came home and the house smelled sweet and spicy and wonderful. I lifted the lid, gave the stuff a stir, and had a sample spoonful. I had a lot of trouble not eating it all while I waited for my rice to cook. (I refuse to use minute rice - it's just creepy. I mean, what do they put in it that it can cook that quickly???)
And now, what you've all been waiting for...the main event!
CROCKPOT CHICKEN CURRY
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup onion
1 cup tomato
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tbsp. ginger powder
2 tbsp. rosemary
3 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground red chili pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Dice chicken, onion, and tomato.
2) Mix all of the ingredients together in the crock pot.
3) Cook on low for 3-5 hours.
4) Serve over rice.
WHAT ARIC DID DIFFERENTLY
1) We don't have tomatoes yet (the garden isn't quite ready), so he used half a can of diced tomatoes.
2) We don't have rosemary, either, so we substituted 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/2 tsp. tarragon. Did you know that there are whole websites devoted to herb and spice substitutions??? Perfect for someone like me, who rarely reads the instructions fully to make sure she has everything before she gets halfway through and goes "oops, I don't have that."
3) Bottled lime juice is just as good as squeezing limes, in my opinion. I can't taste the difference. So how do I know he used bottled juice? I saw the squeezey lime in the kitchen trash.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This dish is mighty tasty and mighty easy to prepare. The cooking time is a little weird - you could probably leave it going for 8 hours, since that's a normal workday, but I don't know.
And it really is the perfect crock pot dish - smells and tastes yummy, but looks like something your stomach rejected upon arrival.
This recipe is a keeper!
Adventures in Cooking - Mujadarrah
I made something really delicious for dinner last night. It's called mujadarrah (and that is just one of many spelling variations). Basically it is lentils and rice and onions, plus some tasty spices.
I found it while cruising around one of many recipe websites I frequent (I am obsessed with finding new foods lately). I was specifically looking for recipes that include lentils, because I bought two bags of dried lentils and then realized I didn't know how to cook them. I don't know - I broke the Golden Rule of Grocery Shopping and didn't eat before I went, so I came back with some wacky stuff.
Around 8pm last night I decided it was probably time to eat, so I cooked up a batch of this tasty deliciousness. And now I'm going to share the recipe, because I love it so much.
MUJADARRAH
3 large onions, cut into rings (as thick or as thin as you like)
3/4 cup of EVOO
1 1/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup long grain rice
4 1/2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 tsp. of the pre-minced stuff, if that's how you roll)
SPICE BLEND
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
A NOTE ABOUT THE SPICES
I don't have allspice, apparently. What I DO have is garam masala, which is basically a blend of Indian-type spices (cumin, corriander, cardamom, cloves...basically all the C's). I figured that since allspice is a blend of largely warm-tasting spices, garam masala would do the trick. I was right. It. Was. SO. GOOD.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Mix spices together, set aside.
3) When oil is hot, fry onions until they become tender and start to brown (have a splatter screen handy - trust me). Remove from oil and set aside in a covered dish.
4) Add garlic and spice mix to the oil. Cook until garlic becomes soft, being careful not to burn the garlic.
5) Add the water and bring to a boil.
6) Add dried lentils and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7) Add rice. Turn heat to low and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
8) Add onions and stir gently. Serve.
I find that it pairs quite nicely with multi-grain french bread, but I think pita bread or something similar would also be good. Basically any kind of bread that's got a nice nuttiness to it.
Also, I know it seems like a lot of EVOO at the beginning, but trust me - it's worth it. The onion come out so tender and so delicious, and they infuse the oil with onion-y goodness. Please don't skip that step. It's like adding a belt to a pair of pants - it just finishes off the dish perfectly.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
1) Cut the salt in half. I thought it was a lot of salt at the time, but I figured the recipe had a good reason. Turns out my instinct was right. If you like salt, cool. But next time I'm going for 1 tsp.
2) Cut the onions into long strips, instead of rings. My eyes are pretty sensitive to onion fumes to begin with, but to take the time to separate the onion rings? Oh man, I broke so many of those toxic onion cell walls, I was practically BAWLING by the time I was done. So next time I am going to save myself some hassle and a lot of tears, and cut them into long strips.
3) Eat a spinach salad alongside. It's a good, hearty meal, but I really wished that I had some vegetables (and unfortunately, fried onions don't count as a veggie).
THE BOTTOM LINE
This dish is both tasty and filling, and I suspect it might even be food for you. This is a very easy dish to make, and it goes relatively quickly (it's a good "oh crap what am I going to eat tonight?" kind of dinner). This dish is versatile - you can serve it as a main course or as a side.
This is also a relatively inexpensive dish (I had all of the ingredients on-hand. If you don't have some of the spices, it might run you a little more, but try to think of it as an investment in tasty). I like it, and once I'm done farting from all the lentils I ate last night, I am definitely going to make it again.
I found it while cruising around one of many recipe websites I frequent (I am obsessed with finding new foods lately). I was specifically looking for recipes that include lentils, because I bought two bags of dried lentils and then realized I didn't know how to cook them. I don't know - I broke the Golden Rule of Grocery Shopping and didn't eat before I went, so I came back with some wacky stuff.
Around 8pm last night I decided it was probably time to eat, so I cooked up a batch of this tasty deliciousness. And now I'm going to share the recipe, because I love it so much.
MUJADARRAH
3 large onions, cut into rings (as thick or as thin as you like)
3/4 cup of EVOO
1 1/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup long grain rice
4 1/2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 tsp. of the pre-minced stuff, if that's how you roll)
SPICE BLEND
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
A NOTE ABOUT THE SPICES
I don't have allspice, apparently. What I DO have is garam masala, which is basically a blend of Indian-type spices (cumin, corriander, cardamom, cloves...basically all the C's). I figured that since allspice is a blend of largely warm-tasting spices, garam masala would do the trick. I was right. It. Was. SO. GOOD.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Mix spices together, set aside.
3) When oil is hot, fry onions until they become tender and start to brown (have a splatter screen handy - trust me). Remove from oil and set aside in a covered dish.
4) Add garlic and spice mix to the oil. Cook until garlic becomes soft, being careful not to burn the garlic.
5) Add the water and bring to a boil.
6) Add dried lentils and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7) Add rice. Turn heat to low and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
8) Add onions and stir gently. Serve.
I find that it pairs quite nicely with multi-grain french bread, but I think pita bread or something similar would also be good. Basically any kind of bread that's got a nice nuttiness to it.
Also, I know it seems like a lot of EVOO at the beginning, but trust me - it's worth it. The onion come out so tender and so delicious, and they infuse the oil with onion-y goodness. Please don't skip that step. It's like adding a belt to a pair of pants - it just finishes off the dish perfectly.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
1) Cut the salt in half. I thought it was a lot of salt at the time, but I figured the recipe had a good reason. Turns out my instinct was right. If you like salt, cool. But next time I'm going for 1 tsp.
2) Cut the onions into long strips, instead of rings. My eyes are pretty sensitive to onion fumes to begin with, but to take the time to separate the onion rings? Oh man, I broke so many of those toxic onion cell walls, I was practically BAWLING by the time I was done. So next time I am going to save myself some hassle and a lot of tears, and cut them into long strips.
3) Eat a spinach salad alongside. It's a good, hearty meal, but I really wished that I had some vegetables (and unfortunately, fried onions don't count as a veggie).
THE BOTTOM LINE
This dish is both tasty and filling, and I suspect it might even be food for you. This is a very easy dish to make, and it goes relatively quickly (it's a good "oh crap what am I going to eat tonight?" kind of dinner). This dish is versatile - you can serve it as a main course or as a side.
This is also a relatively inexpensive dish (I had all of the ingredients on-hand. If you don't have some of the spices, it might run you a little more, but try to think of it as an investment in tasty). I like it, and once I'm done farting from all the lentils I ate last night, I am definitely going to make it again.
Obligatory Awkward Getting-to-Know-You Post
Can't just jump into this blogging thing without a few little introductions.
The Details:
23 years old.
Lives in Michigan.
Has a cat and a boyfriend.
Likes cooking.
Likes eating even more.
Starting to garden.
Makes jewelry.
Sassy.
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