bcmom's Xanga

I'm Confused

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:44:31 GMT

Last time I made this Jambalaya, Jeffrey said he liked it. I made it again this weekend. This time he said it was bland. I'm beginning to think there's something wrong with his tastebuds. There is nothing bland about that recipe at all. It's really good. The flavors blend nicely. I don't think you can go wrong when you start a recipe with onions, garlic, peppers and celery... add some Tabasco and spices, and it tastes so good. Maybe I should just pass him some extra Tabasco? Except that he doesn't like spicy stuff.

I think it's the rice. He has himself convinced that he doesn't like rice.

Don't Waste Chocolate

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:54:53 GMT

We used to buy our Hershey's chocolate syrup in the can. When the can got about empty, we opened the top of the can and used a spatula to scrape out every last bit of the chocolate. I mean, it is chocolate, and it's not good to waste chocolate.

Now we buy our Hershey's syrup in the bottle, and it took me a while to figure out how to get every last bit of chocolate from that bottle. It's not like you can open up that bottle and scrape the chocolate out. Instead, we have to make chocolate milk.

Unscrew the top, pour some milk into the bottle, shake it up well, pour into a glass, and enjoy. No more wasted chocolate!

One-Pan Tomato Basil Chicken

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:34:08 GMT

I found this recipe ages ago in the coupon section of the newspaper, but I hadn't made it in years. I don't know why it's been so long. This is really good, and so easy.

One-Pan Tomato Basil Chicken
ready in just 30 minutes

1 package (6.9 ounces) Rice-a-Roni Chicken Flavor
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 tsp. dried basil
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese (optional)

In large skillet (10 inch), prepare Rice-a-Roni mix as package directs, except simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in chicken, basil, broccoli, and tomato.
Cover, continue to simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese before serving, if desired.

Serves 4

I used cooked turkey instead of chicken, and peeled and chopped a frozen tomato. Also, I did not have any Mozzarella, so I sprinkled it with Parmesan. I'm also thinking you could substitute another vegetable for the broccoli - green beans, perhaps?

More Rice-a-Roni recipes.

Good to Know

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:49:44 GMT

I found a recipe I want to try. It calls for 2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips - as well as walnuts, dried cherries, and Cheerios. It's supposed to be a good, heart-healthy snack, and I thought it would be nice for Jeffrey to have as a snack. I don't have any bittersweet chocolate chips, but I do have some Hershey's extra dark baking bars. I figure those will work just fine, since the chocolate must be melted. However, I did not know how many squares I would need, so I looked it up and found this handy list of chocolate substitutions. For each cup of chocolate chips, I need 6 squares of chocolate - so that will be 1-1/2 of those baking bars.

Iced Cappuccino

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:32:55 GMT

The weather is getting warm, and I'm starting to think of cool drinks - like lemonade, tea, and iced cappuccino. Actually, I've never had an iced cappuccino, I don't think, but my friend Tammy posted this recipe, and I just have to try it. Of course, she went and posted it back in April, and I wasn't thinking cold drinks back then. So, tonight I had to go searching her blog to find that recipe again.

Now that I've found it, I'm posting it here so I can find it again.

NOT QUITE TIM HORTON'S, BUT ALMOST AS GOOD ICE CAPS

1 cup of whole or 2% milk
1 heaping teaspoon of instant coffee
1 teaspoon of vanilla
6 ice cubes
4 teaspoons of sugar

Mix all in blender until ice is crushed. Pour in glass and drink with a straw.

I usually double the recipe because as soon as I make one for me, everyone wants one.

Sounds good, doesn't it? If you try it, do let Tammy know what you think, OK?

Oatmeal for Breakfast

Sat, 24 May 2008 02:07:40 GMT

I read a recipe for crockpot oatmeal somewhere, and I've been meaning to try it since. I bought the steel cut oats. Now I'm finally ready, so I went looking for a good recipe. I'm going to sort of combine these two recipes:

They're pretty much the same, so I'm going to follow the 2nd one, because it only uses 1 cup of oats. I figure it's best to make a smaller batch the first time, just in case no one but me likes it. Then I want to stir in the bananas and walnuts at the end like the other recipe. It sounds really yummy! I can't wait for breakfast.

Barbecued Baked Potatoes

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:52:27 GMT

Someone was asking about a way to cook potatoes on the grill. She was tired of plain old baked potatoes. So I suggested these potatoes that we like to grill.

Barbecued Baked Potatoes

4 large potatoes, scrubbed not peeled
Salt & Pepper
Paprika
1/2 cup melted butter

Parboil potatoes 10 min. in their skins. Quarter potatoes lengthwise. Brush with mixture of butter, paprika, salt & pepper on all surfaces. Grill potatoes for 15 minutes or so, basting frequently with remaining butter.

For sauce, combine:

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1tsp. sugar
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. fresh herbs

Serve with potatoes.

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:31:54 GMT

I found this recipe in the coupon section of the newspaper. I made it last week, and it is really good, and really easy.

Campbell's® Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 of a 16 ounce package linguine
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets
2 tbsp. butter
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Prepare the linguine according to the package directions in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of the cooking time. Drain the linguine and broccoli well in a colander.
Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.
Stir the soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture into the skillet. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo: Substitute grilled chicken breasts for the skinless, boneless chicken.

Shrimp & Broccoli Alfredo: Substitute 1 pound fresh extra large shrimp, shelled and deveined for the chicken. Cook as directed in Step 2 until the shrimp are cooked through.

Spanish-Inspired Tip: Reduce the chicken to 1/2 pound and omit the Parmesan cheese. Prepare as directed above. Stir 1/2 pound peeled cooked shrimp, 1/4 pound chorizo or ham, diced and 1 teaspoon paprika into the skillet in Step 3.

Indian-Inspired Tip: Omit the Parmesan cheese. Substitute 1 cup uncooked basmati rice for the linguine. Prepare as directed above. Stir 1 teaspoon curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin into the skillet in Step 3. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds, if desired.

Asian-Inspired Tip: Omit the Parmesan cheese. Substitute 1 package (6 ounces) rice noodles for the linguine. Prepare as directed above. Stir 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, minced and 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root in to the skillet with the chicken in Step 2.

When heating leftovers in the microwave, add a little milk to get the creaminess back. I think I will make this again and probably try one of the variations.

Find this recipe as well as many more at the Campbell's kitchen website.

Jambalaya

Fri, 16 May 2008 01:31:52 GMT

I had a jambalaya recipe, I thought from Tabasco using the green sauce. I do not know what happened to that recipe because I haven't made it in ages. So I tried to find it on the Tabasco site today. I couldn't find the exact recipe, but this one sounds good:

Cajun & Creole : Ham and Sausage Jambalaya

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (20-ounce) package kielbasa or other smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 large onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into cubes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Original TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage, onions, green pepper, celery and garlic and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, ham, bay leaf, TABASCO^® Sauce, thyme and allspice; simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Stir in rice; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender, adding more broth or water if needed. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

I won't use the ham, but I'll probably follow the rest of the recipe. I bet this would be good with cornbread.

Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes

Thu, 01 May 2008 13:45:01 GMT

I had to be out of the house all day Tuesday, so I planned ahead and threw something into the crockpot. That way, dinner was ready when I got home. I found this recipe on a blog somewhere, but I forgot to bookmark it or save it, so I just made things up as I went along.

Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes

Ingredients:

Potatoes
Onion
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Italian Seasoning, salt & pepper
Cream of chicken soup

Directions:

Peel and slice potatoes, and put them into the bottom of the crockpot. I used 10 or so. You can use as many as you want.
Slice onion and toss with potatoes. I used about half of an onion. Again, use as much or as little as you like.
Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, salt & pepper.
Cut chicken breasts into strips and put on top of potatoes. I used 2 breasts from a bag of frozen chicken breasts.
Sprinkle on some more Italian Seasoning, salt & pepper.
Cover everything with the cream of chicken soup.
Turn crockpot on low and cook all day. Dinner will be ready when you are.

This isn't pretty, but it tastes really good. We had leftovers which warmed up nicely in the microwave the next night.