Recipes
Wednesday, September 24, 2008, by Leigh Anne
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
One of my goals for meal planning each week is to try at least one new recipe.
I keep a small file box with folders labeled with different categories - salads, main dish/beef, main dish/chicken, side dishes, desserts etc. When I find a recipe in a magazine, newspaper, on a blog, or a friend shares one with me it goes into this file until I have a chance to try it. I then decide if it is a “Keeper” or not (if it’s not, it goes in the trash - oops I mean recycling - I do live in Oregon!)
Each Sunday when I am doing my meal planning I grab that file and pick out one or two new recipes to incorporate into the week’s plan.
This week that recipe was Asian BBQ Chicken. A recipe I found on Our Best Bites - a great food blog.
This is a quick and easy dish to put together - it does need to marinade at least 4 hours so a little planning is required. We like chicken thighs at our house because it is such moist meat and they are inexpensive.
One trick I like to use with marinaded meat is when I bring the meat home from the store, before I freeze it, is to mix up the marinade and add the meat right into it and then freeze it. That way the meat is marinading as it is thawing and it makes for easier and quicker meal prep on those nights when life is crazy!
I didn’t add the curry powder but I am sure it would be great - I was just out of it.
It was a hit at dinner and everyone loved it - Tessa commented several times how good it was. I served it with lime cilantro rice and a broccoli slaw.
This new recipe is a “Keeper”!
Asian BBQ Chicken1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t curry powder
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. Reserve a couple of spoonfuls of the marinade in a small bowl and place the rest, with the chicken, in a zip-lock bag. (If your chicken pieces are extra large and you feel like you need a little more marinade, you can always add a bit of water to stretch it.) Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but overnight is best.Preheat a grill (or an indoor grill pan or broiler). Spray cooking surface with cooking spray and place chicken on it to cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness.
Popularity: 39% [?]
Categories: Nourish, Recipes, Uncategorized
Subscribe
Friday, September 19, 2008, by Leigh Anne
It’s Tomato Time again. The tomatoes are coming on fast and furious! Fortunately we have a few parties to go to this weekend so I will definitely be taking something made out of tomatoes and I see a big batch of marinara sauce in my future!
.
This week’s Friday Favorite is Basil Tomato Tart. A perfect dish for a brunch or luncheon. Combine it with a green salad and you have a meal. It is also a great side dish for dinner which is how I served it this week.
Last year my mother attended a luncheon with some of the ladies in her apartment complex and when she came home she was raving about this dish that someone had brought. I told her to get the recipe for me!! And she did - thanks mom. It has become a favorite since the first time I made it. It tastes alot like pizza - with it’s warm mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and tomatoes.
I have tweeked the recipe a bit. The original recipe called for a layer of fresh basil leaves and garlic - I used a layer of pesto instead. So here is my version of Basil Tomato Tart.
Basil Tomato Tart
Pie Crust (I used store bought)
1 1/2 C shredded Mozzarella
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 C pesto
1/2 C mayo
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. white pepper.
Bake pie crust according to directions on crust. Remove from oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup Mozzarella on bottom. Let cool.
While crust is cooling, cut tomatoes into slices (about 1/4″ thick or thicker if preferred) and drain on paper towel.
Spread layer of pesto over cheese. Place tomatoes over pesto layer.
Combine mayo, Parmesan, pepper and remaining Mozzarella and spread on top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until browned.
Popularity: 32% [?]
Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes
Subscribe
Wednesday, September 17, 2008, by Leigh Anne
It is still berry season in Oregon. Blackberries are the latest berries to ripen along with the fall raspberries. The blackberries grow wild along the roads, in the parks and even in people’s backyards. In fact some people spend a lot of time and effort trying to get rid of the wild blackberries in their yard. They can literally take over!
There are dozens of blackberry bushes lining the road by my house. But since I prefer my blackberries not be infused with car fumes I bought mine at the Farmer’s Market this weekend.
My friend Laurie from Seattle recently sent me her recipe for blackberry cobbler that she promised was always a hit. I love a warm berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream!
So Sunday night I gave it a try. Not only is it super easy, it is just as delicious as she promised! Beside the blackberries there are only four other ingredients. We had a couple of friends from church stop by so we shared with them and they both asked for the recipe (good sign it’s a keeper!)
You could really use almost any kind of fruit or combination of fruits. It would be great with raspberries, marionberries, blueberries, etc. Laurie says they especially like peaches and blueberries together - get creative!
Instead of serving it with ice cream I made cinnamon whip cream - yum!!
Fresh Blackberry Cobbler
1 C flour
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 stick of butter - melted
Fresh blackberries
Drop egg into flour and sugar. Mix with a fork until crumbly and fine (no monster chunks). Fill a pie dish with blackberries. Sprinkle mixture over berries. Drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees or until top starts to brown. Adjust time according to your “brown” preference. Let cool for a least 30 minutes…serve while still warm with vanilla ice cream. (Laurie’s Note: For my Quilt Group gals I use a 9 X 13 dish and double the topping recipe…they all like seconds)
Cinnamon Whip Cream
1 C whipping cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Mix together and whip until stiff.
Popularity: 26% [?]
Categories: Nourish, Recipes
Subscribe
Tuesday, September 16, 2008, by Leigh Anne
I think the thing I hate most about cooking dinner every night is deciding what to cook! Don’t you agree?
My Menu Planning Tool #2 is what helps make the decision easier - The Wilkes Family Favorites List. (See yesterday’s post for Tool #1)
Night after night of having to make the decision of what we are going to eat gets old after 27 years! With the help of my family I have put together a list of our families favorite meals. I divided them into categories such as beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, salad, pasta/pizza, soup and sandwiches.
Having a master list of family favorites makes the dinner decision so much easier!
I have also taken all of these recipes and put them into one cookbook/binder (or rather my mother and daughter did!) so I always know where they are.
When all the kids were home I would make them all pick a night of the week and decide what we were having for dinner, using the list as a reference if needed. As someone at my class last Thursday suggested, I should have taken it one step further and made them cook dinner that night too!
Another fun trick to help make the decision process easier is to use theme nights.
Rachel Jensen shared with me how she has set up her theme nights. You notice that each theme night also has a “fall-back” meal - a great idea! A “fall-back” meal is something she knows she always has the ingredients for that can be made quickly and easily if all else fails! Here is an example of how she has hers set up:
Rice Sunday (Fallback - stir fry with broccoli)
Pasta Monday (Fallback -Spaghetti)
Crockpot Tuesday (Beef Stew)
Mexican Wednesday (Soft Taco Bar)
Easy Oven Thursday (Frozen Pizza)
Grill Friday (Hamburgers)
Chicken Saturday (Baked Chicken Breast)
Having theme nights makes the decision process easier because you don’t have to make as many decisions. You don’t have to decide between chicken, beef, pork etc. - you know on Saturdays you only have to choose from your chicken recipes! Fewer decisions equals less stress!
I like Rachel’s idea so much I have decided to use it in my Wilkes Family Weekly Dinner Plan
To help me with my weekly menu planning I will be posting The Wilkes Weekly Dinner Plan each week on my family blog - if you’d like to see what we are having for dinner this week and the links for the recipes you can check it out by clicking on the link above.
Here are some of our favorite quick and easy meals from the Wilkes Family Favorites List:
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Sesame Chicken
Mediterranean Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta
Pasta with Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes
I hope these meal planning tips help and if you have any more to add to the list please share!
Popularity: 29% [?]
Categories: Nourish, Organizational Tips, Recipes
Subscribe
Friday, September 12, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Last night I taught my class on menu planning and quick meals at church. Thanks to a lot of input from many of you it was a great class! I will be sharing details from the class next Monday so be sure and check back!
Since I was focused on preparing for the class this week I thought I should probably share a quick meal idea with you and I promised the ladies in the class I would have one on the blog today!
You have heard me mention a time or two that Cafe Rio is my favorite place to eat while in Utah. I have even shared their Sweet Pork recipe with you (another great quick meal because it’s done in the crock pot)
Fortunately for me a Cafe Rio knock off, Costa Vida, opened up in Portland about a year ago. Now I can get my Cafe Rio fix without having to drive 13 hours to Utah.
Today’s quick meal recipe is also done in the crock pot and is a copycat recipe for Costa Vida’s chicken. You can serve it in burritos, tacos or on a salad. It is yummy!
A while ago my friend Laurie emailed me asking for some ideas for a dinner she needed to put on for her family after her parent’s anniversary party. It needed to be quick and easy because they would be coming directly to her house to eat after the party (of which she was in charge of too!)
I suggested she do a taco/burrito bar using the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork and the Costa Vida Chicken. Both could be made ahead of time and just kept warm in a crock pot. It’s a perfect thing for a large group of people because they can personalize it to their own taste.
Serve it with tortillas, chips, beans, and all the toppings. This green chili rice is perfect to serve along side too.
My favorite tortillas to use are the raw flour ones from Costco. Just bake them up fresh each time. So good. I eat them plain they’re so good!
Laurie reported in after the party that both were a huge success!
So today’s Friday Favorite and quick meal idea is Costa Vida Chicken. Enjoy!
Costa Vida Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast (this recipe can be easily halved but make a full batch and freeze the leftovers for another meal! Good menu planning!)
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.
Popularity: 37% [?]
Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes
Subscribe
Thursday, September 11, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Our first Barefoot Blogger recipe for the month of September, Grown Up Mac and Cheese was selected by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl.
I am not a fan of Macaroni and Cheese. My kids have always loved the orange stuff in the box - yuck! I do remember eating it as a kid but I believe it was smothered in ketchup. Doesn’t just about anything taste good smothered in ketchup!?
Since Mac and Cheese is not on the Zone Diet my husband wasn’t going to be partaking of this particular dish so with only one child left at home - that left only Tessa to enjoy it. I filled a small little ramekin with enough for her and decided to share the rest with someone else.
There is a young family at church that I visit on a monthly basis that could use a little help and love right now so I filled a disposable pan with Grown Up Mac and Cheese, covered it with foil and dropped it off as a surprise. The husband was home going through the refrigerator at the time looking for something to fix for dinner so my timing was perfect. I hope they enjoy it.
Even though I didn’t eat any I loved the idea of mixing the breadcrumbs with basil - a real grown up touch! I also loved the combination of grown up cheeses - Gruyere, extra sharp Cheddar and Blue Cheese. The addition of bacon made in more grown up too -and everything tastes better with bacon! I promise I’ll have a bite of Tessa’s when she enjoys it for dinner tomorrow night.
My picture is a shot of the uncooked version. I took it to the family uncooked so if they wanted to freeze it for another night they could but I don’t think it made it that far!
Grown Up Mac and Cheese
4 oz. thick sliced bacon
vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
3 oz. extra sharp Cheddar, grated
2 oz. blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped basil leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place a baking rack on a cookie sheet and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6-8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the cheeses, 1 tsp. salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into pan.
Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (I used my blender) and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.
Popularity: 29% [?]
Categories: Barefoot Bloggers, Nourish, Recipes
Subscribe
Wednesday, September 10, 2008, by Leigh Anne
I’ve been having to do some readjusting to my cooking this week. Now that we only have one child at home I am finding I am making too much food! For dinner last night I cut the recipe in half and still had enough leftovers for another meal! Yikes! One plus is my grocery bill should go down.
Another thing we have lots of at our house is tomatoes! Yes, it’s tomato time! We’ve got lots of ripe tomatoes in the garden so expect a few tomato recipes over the next couple of weeks.
In fact, if you have a favorite tomato recipe I’d love for you to share it - just leave it in the comment box below so everyone can enjoy it. By the looks of this tomato crop I’m going to need a few new recipes. Thanks!
One of our favorite things to do with the tomatoes is make bruschetta. Tessa is the official bruschetta maker at our house and when it is tomato time we eat it several times a week.
Our neighbor and friend Hannah shared with us a great bruschetta tip she learned when she and her family went to Italy. Normally, we just brush some olive oil on the sliced bread and then toast them under the broiler. Hannah taught us to coat them with olive oil but then sprinkle each slice with some Herbs de Provence and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and then toast under the broiler - yum! It is so much better!
Bruschetta
6 or 7 roma tomatoes, skinned and chopped into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 baguette style bread sliced into 3/8″ thick slices, brush on a thin layer of olive oil and then toast under broiler or try our new way with a sprinkling of herbs de provence and grated Parmesan cheese and then place under broiler.
To skin the tomatoes we put them into boiling water until the skins crack and then place them in cold water - the skins pop right off. Chop tomatoes finely, add garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar in a bowl and mix. Chop the basil thinly, add to tomato mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon tomato mixture onto bread toasts - enjoy! Yum!!!
Popularity: 27% [?]
Categories: Nourish, Recipes
Subscribe
Friday, September 5, 2008, by Leigh Anne
We have had a bumper crop of green beans this summer so I am always looking for new ways to prepare them. We attended a potluck party several weeks ago and one of the dishes that was brought were these yummy charred, spice-crusted green beans. I couldn’t wait to make them for a neighborhood Labor Day get together we had.
The great thing about this dish is it’s suppose to be eaten with your fingers and makes a great appetizer as well as a side dish. Not only is it fun to eat it is also fun to make. You will want to serve them soon after cooking and I promise they won’t hang around long! They will be gobbled up.
The only way you can ruin these beans is to NOT burn them! I prepared them using my cast iron skillet on my outdoor grill. They can be made inside but be sure to have your windows open and good ventilation or you will set of your smoke alarm!
The beans are served with a yummy, spicy remoulade. Just dip and eat!
Any other great green bean recipes out there??
Pan-Seared Green Beans
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl combine green beans, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic and salt; toss to coat beans. Heat in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat until smoking. Add the beans, being careful not to crowd the pan too much (cook in two batches, if necessary). Cook beans, without disturbing, until charred patches appear, about 5 minutes. Toss beans and cook 5 minutes or more. Transfer to a bowl or plate and serve immediately with Spicy Remoulade.
Spicy Remoulade
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp capers, rinsed, drained and finely chopped
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh parsley
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Mix mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, mustard, capers, garlic, parsley and lemon juice until combined. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Popularity: 30% [?]
Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes
Subscribe
Wednesday, September 3, 2008, by Leigh Anne
This summer while I was at Girl’s Camp I made friends with some wonderful ladies, the ladies I taught with and the “Camp Craft Ladies”. While at camp I discovered that several of these new friends were rumored to have pretty amazing craft rooms.
A craft room is something that I have always dreamed of - a place that I could have all of my stuff in one place and I could make as big a mess as I wanted and not have to clean it up because we had to eat at the table or someone had to sleep in that room!
Because I now have two empty bedrooms at my house I decided that this fall was the time - I was going to make myself a craft room. (Sorry boys!)
Before I began my Craft Room Project I wanted to see what these other ladies had done - so I arranged a craft room tour and luncheon several weeks ago.
I’ll share with you what I served for lunch but first I wanted to show you a few pictures of the great craft rooms we toured.
The first stop on our tour was Karen’s house. Karen is a stamper and has every stamp and tool imaginable! Karen even had a fun little craft for all of us to do while we were there.
One of the great ideas I got from Karen was this fun way to store my ribbon.
She uses clear plastic shoe boxes and leaves the tails of all the ribbons hanging out between the lid and the box. You can just pull out the ribbon you want. Love it!
Our next stop was Michelle’s where she showed us her darling Mary Engelbreit craft room!
Not only is her craft room functional, it’s cute too! I especially liked the red hutch she had rescued from her sister who was going to get rid of it. Michelle painted it red and “Mary Engelbreited” it!
Our next stop was to Heather’s amazing craft room - it is to die for!!
Not only does she win the prize for the most stuff - all of her stuff has a place of it’s own! Not only was it organized but it looked organized with all of her matching green boxes!
All of these ladies inspired me and I can’t wait to get started on my own Craft Room Project!
Speaking of inspiration, the salad I made for our craft room tour lunch was inspiring because it was so pretty! The recipe came from one of my favorite blogs - Pioneer Woman. Her recipes are always yummy and her step by step pictures incredible. You must check her out if you haven’t already.
I decided our luncheon was the perfect opportunity to try her Asian Noodle Salad.
There is a lot of chopping involved with this recipe but it is worth the effort. As I finished my chopping the colors of all the vegetables were so pretty together I just had to take a picture of them!
Be sure and check out Pioneer Woman’s site for her step by step pictures and directions.
This recipe makes a TON so be sure and have a lot of mouths to feed. The six of us hardly ate half of it so I packaged up the rest and took it to the neighbors. I followed her directions except I decided to add some chicken to it too.
I served it on my bright green platter and it looked great - and tasted great too!
Asian Noodle Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet
DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS
Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro
Popularity: 31% [?]
Categories: Inspire, Recipes
Subscribe
Friday, August 29, 2008, by Leigh Anne
After a long drive we have arrived in Provo, Utah. Cali is moved into her dorm and we are enjoying our last couple of days with her visiting some of our favorite spots in town.
Before we left home I made my list of BYU/Provo favorites. All the places I love to visit, shop and eat at while in Provo.
Always on the top of my list of BYU/Provo favorites is visiting the BYU Bookstore and having a BYU Brownie. I’m not sure that’s what they call them but it’s what we call them at our house.
A BYU Brownie is a chocolaty, chewy brownie with a layer of mint green frosting covered by another layer of chocolate frosting - yum!
My first stop on campus today, on the way to spend a fortune on college textbooks, was to purchase my BYU Brownie. I had planned on taking a picture of it to share with you but somehow it disappeared before I could get the picture taken!
Since I don’t like having to wait until my next visit to BYU to enjoy a BYU Brownie I googled it and found a recipe for BYU Mint Brownies in the BYU Alumni Magazine. They’re great.
In fact, my younger daughter, after eating part of the brownie I bought today, announced she thought the ones we made were better.
For me, the best part of the brownie is the frosting and I love the combination of the mint and the chocolate together.
So in preparation for our trip to BYU I made a batch of BYU Brownies last week. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do and GO COUGARS! (We’re off to the opening season game of BYU football game on Saturday!)
I did manage to get a picture taken of the ones I made before they disappeared!
BYU Brownie
from the BYU Magazine
1 C butter
1/2 C cocoa
2 Tbsp honey
4 eggs
2 C sugar
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C chopped walnuts (I left these out)
12 oz. chocolate icing (I used the recipe for the mint icing below but just added about 1/3 C of cocoa and left out the mint extract and green food coloring)
Mint Icing|
5 Tbsp butter
dash of salt
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 1/3 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
Prepare mint icing. Soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and green food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.
Popularity: 35% [?]
Categories: Friday Favorites, Nourish, Recipes
Subscribe
RSS Subscription
E-Mail Subscription
