Red Beans & Rice.. the day after

Hello All

Well last night's adventure was Awesome!!  The red beans and rice was worth the time, effort and little expense.  I had two bowls for dinner and yes, even one for breakfast this morning.  Don't you love it when you have a craving for something and it delivers.. That's me.. still smiling and thinking about the leftovers in the frig.

I modified a recipe from cooks illustrated.  First, let me be the first to admit that cajun/creole cuisine (or anyone who use to watch Emeril) often uses as the base vegetables: onion, bell pepper and celery or the trinity.  I didn't have bell peppers in the house and opted to use the carrots that I had already purchased.  Personally, I liked to see the carrot in the sauce and thought it added a bit of color but to purists.. the switch might make the dish a bit less bayou.

Should-a/Could-a saved: Nothing (pretty inexpensive and Aidell's Andouille sold with 8 links, freeze other 4 for later recipes).
Verdict: Amazing
Do-Over: Emphatic YES!

Tonight's Adventure was scheduled to be Pork Chile Verde and Leftovers on Thursday night.. But I think with the left over Soup and Red Beans & Rice (and a teething baby).. that I'll switch the two and make leftovers tonight!

The recipe is:

Servings: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 
  
• 1pound red kidney beans (about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over
• Kosher Salt

           3   tablespoon canola oil

• 1medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 3medium carrots, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
• 1celery rib , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
• 3medium garlic cloves minced (or grated on a microplane, which has become my favorite way to cook with garlic)
• 1/4teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2bay leaves
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Ground black pepper
• 3cups chicken broth (I used 3 cups water and 3 tsp of "better than bouillon" chicken base)
• 6cups water

        4   links of Aidell's andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

• 1teaspoon red wine vinegar 
• Basic White Rice
• Hot sauce (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. 2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat, add onion, carrot, and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, paprika, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in beans, broth, and water; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and vigorously simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are just soft and liquid begins to thicken, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. 3. Stir in sausage and 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar and cook until liquid is thick and beans are fully tender and creamy, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, black pepper. Serve over rice, passing hot sauce.

French Lentil Soup, the day after..

Hello All,

Last night's adventure was a vegetarian dish..  Am I turning vegetarian? No way! Not for this carnivore! But every once in a while I think, I should try it for a week.. Then before you know it, I'm having a double-double at In-n-Out.. thanking God for the teenagers behind the counter for making a small bit of heaven.

But last night I made French Lentil Soup, it was delicious.. The color was a little un-nerving.. I was thinking it but not going to say it.. then hubbie comes home looks at my masterpiece in a pan and asks as gently as possible "Have you tasted it?"..   I assured him that I had and that it was delicious.. Being the good husband that he is, my hubbie sits down to his bowl of brown mush and takes a tentative bite.. Then the smile that all cooks hope to see (you know the one) he says surprised.."Hey this is good".  Success!!  I had two bowls and something about the word vegetarian makes you feel guilty free when you stuff yourself into a lentil coma..

The link to the recipe is: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/French-Lentil-Soup-236772 and yes there is a photo of the lovely hue.

The should-a/could-a saved: Nothing, this is a budget dish!
Verdit: More tasty than the color would imply
Do-Over: Definitely, but maybe a different color of lentil next time (they come in lots of colors, I wonder if I made it pink if Ms. J would eat it..??)

Tonight's Adventure: Red Beans & Rice with Anduoille Sausage.  I'm more excited than I care to admit about tonight's adventure.  I've been soaking my beans in a salt-brine overnight.. Defrosted the andouille... Eatin' in the bayou tonight, Y'All!

Meal Plan for the Week

Hi All,

I've spent the day pouring over cookbooks and downloaded my newest app.. Cooks Illustrated!  I'll be using my first recipe from them tomorrow night, so I'll let you know how it goes.  I've got a 14 day free trial window before the $36 for a year subscription.. Yikes! Not part of the Budget!

Here is the menu plan for the week. I'll post recipes or links to the recipes if available, the day after I cook the food with the review to let you know if it's worth the effort and expense..   If you'd like the recipes before I post (or if I don't).. please let me know.

Tonight: French Lentil Soup..  This is an attempt to use the bag of lentils I picked up a few months back thinking "hmm, I'll try those".  Well here is that try..

Tuesday: Red Beans & Rice with Andouille Sausage...I have been dying for authentic red beans and rice since I left Phoenix.  There was a place called "Voodoo Daddy's Magic Kitchen".. Unreal.. it was one of those places where you wished that your pants had an emergency rip cord so you could eat more!

Wednesday: Pork Chile Verde - probably serve with warm tortillas, cilanto, sour cream.. it needs a side or veggie.. not sure what to add here.. I'll walk around the produce market and pick up something and build off of that..

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday:  Chicken Gyros with Cucumber Salsa & Tsatsiki...is it Friday yet?...

Grillin' Saturday: BBQ Halibut Steaks with Tossed Salad.  Trying to eat more fish. Wish me luck!

Pasta Sunday: Slow Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce with Linguine..

A tradition that we had in my house when I was growing up as we had Sunday Pasta.  Every Sunday, my dad would get up early and start his sauce.  All day it would simmer and the house would smell un-believeable by dinner time... That was usually when neighborhood kids would show up and ask to eat over..  I'm going to start this with my own family..

This is culinary exploration week!  My chance to cook the things they won't touch no matter how much chocolate was at stake!

Here's the grocery list:

Baking
EVOO

Breads/Bakery
Bread, Pita, 1 package

Canned Goods/Soups
Chicken Broth, 3 cups
Tomatoes, Diced (canned), 1 14oz can
Vegetable Broth, 4 cups

Dairy, Eggs & Cheese
Butter
Feta Cheese
Yogurt, Greek, 1 1/2 cups

Deli
Chicken, Rotisserie

Fruits & Vegetables
Basil, Fresh, 1/2 c
Bell Pepper, Green, 1
Carrots, 1 c
Celery, 1 1/2 c
Cucumbers, 2
Garlic, 9 cloves
Lemon Juice, 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
Lettuce, 2 heads
Mint, 1/4 cup
Onion, 1 large & 3 med
Onion, Red, 2
Onions, Green
Parsley, Fresh, 1/3 cup
Thyme, Fresh, 1 tsp
Tomatoes, Cherry, 1 1/2 pint
Tomatoes, Roma, 15 med

Meat/Seafood/Poultry
Bacon,
Halibut Steak, 2
Pork Roast, 2.5 lbs
Sausage, Andouille, 8 ounces

Pasta/Rice/Sides
Beans, Red Kidney, 1 bag dried
Lentils, 1 bag
Rice

Spices/Sauces/Seasonings
Bay Leaves
Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Cumin
Garlic Powder,
Oregano, Dried
Paprika
Rosemary, Dried
Salsa Verde, 1 16oz jar
Salt
Sugar
Vinegar, Red Wine

Grilled Flank Steak & Refried Beans.. the day after

Hello All,

Sorry for the late post.  I had the pleasure of spending most of my day among great company at Old Town Cooking School in Pasadena.  We learned how to create new twists on traditional Passover meals.  The aromas were amazing!  After class, we (a wonderful couple and myself) got to have a tasting of the treats our instructor Deborah created.  Wow! The brisket: Amazing!  The Matzo-balls were fluffy and wonderful.  I'm looking forward to trying a few of these recipes next month during Passover.

Dinner last night was delicious!  Thank goodness.. I was afraid (as my dear friend Dave pointed out) this would be a blog of cooking failures.. I'll start with the refried beans.. I soaked over night and then cooked them with some salt pork until soft,.  Then I mashed the beans.. I hate to waste food (especially expensive food that made the should-a/could-a saved list) and melted the leftover manchego cheese into the beans.  I tasted them and was like Yes! They are Great! Everyone will love them.  My dream came to an abrupt end when both of my girls gave them thumbs down..  My hubbie and I loved them and I quickly chalked up their dislike to their underdeveloped sense of taste, which yes only applies to the food they don't like..

The Grilled Flank Steak was amazing.  I've decided to have a few traditions in my generally untraditional family.  One of these traditions involves Grillin' Saturday!  My hubbie loves to grill, so my meal planning will include this opportunity for him each Saturday.  I marinated the flank steak in pepper, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and red wine vinegar.   It was tender and delicious.  Remember to let beef (or any meat except chicken) come to room temp before cooking..  I didn't even try to give it to the girls and instead gave them chicken patty sandwiches,  handy in a pinch & create the occasional quiet dinner.

Tonight: Yes this is a two-fer posting.. I made Chicken with Cous cous.. Ms J renamed it to Chicken Coo-Coo..  Then she went on to liken my cous cous (made with chicken buillion) to tasting like clay..  Eventually after what seemed like an eternity, Ms J ate her chicken, 1/2 the cous cous (thanks to dad) and only 1/2 her carrots (thanks to mom) stuffed inside a pita shell.  This would be Thumbs Flat.  Lil'Chef A ate everything and gave the cous cous a Thumbs Way Up!

The should-a/could-a saved: Nothing
The Verdict: Whoo Hoo on both accounts
Do Over: Yes and continue to tweek

Tomorrow: Menu Plan for the week & French Lentil Soup

Honey Apricot Chicken & Lemon Rice... the day after

Hello All

Last night was a dinner disaster! I started my honey apricot chicken in the crock pot hours before.. where did I get this recipe, so you don't suffer the same fate as my family.. from Crock Pot cookbook I got from my mom; who gave it to me because she didn't like anything she'd made from it.. I know should have been my first clue Sherlock, but I regress.. It was from a chapter called "Five Ingredients or Less".. (2nd clue Sherlock).. The 5 ingredients were honey, dried mustard, chicken, broth and apricots. All I could think of was is my dear friend Dave saying "eww, fruit and meat. Never a good combo!"..

As for the Baked Lemon Rice Pilaf.. The recipe called for the basics of any rice.. 2 to 1 ratio liquid to rice.. with some lemon juice and lemon zest.. However, somewhere in the 50 minute baking time.. it occurred to me.. Why am I baking rice for 50 minutes when I could have just cooked it on the stove for 20?? Trust me when I tell you, it wasn't worth it! It was mushy, tangy and just plain wrong.

The should-a/could-a saved: The Entire Meal! Fortunately, nothing but the $2.50 in dried apricots weren't already in my cupboard.


The Kids Opinion: Ms. J was the first to come to me with the "thumbs down" face and beg to be done. I should have known how bad it was when I told her that there would be no dessert if she didn't eat.. and she happily agreed to be away from the plate. I thought I can't be as bad as that.. Sadly it was. I took it way from Lil'Chef A before I could damage my foodie's love for food.

The Verdict: From the words of my 3 year old grand-niece Maddie "Dhat's Nasty"!
Do Over: Not in this lifetime!
Tonight's Adventure: Grilled Flank Steak & Refried Beans (from scratch)

Spanish Chicken Stew.. the day after

Hello All:

Thank you all for the support and emails.. I really appreciate it..

Well last night I made Spanish Chicken Stew with manchego polenta from my app Rachael Ray's Tasty Bytes.. It's pretty simple, chicken, chorizo, onions, garlic, wine =), tomatoes.. you get the gist.. And a few of ingredients I'd never used.. pimentos, manchego cheese and polenta. manchego cheese is good, I thought similar to a mozzarella cheese.. Polenta is italian cornmeal used in place of pasta or rice..

So, the verdict:: Stew was good.. No need for the manchego polenta. The polenta mixture's suppose to line the bowls of the stew.. Not necessary.. I would have been happy with just a bit of shredded cheese on top.. There are plenty of leftovers and the stew is filling enough that I think I could serve 4-6.

The Should-a/Could-a saved: The cheese costs $3.69 and Polenta costs: $3.99: $7.68

The Kids Opinion: Ms J gave it thumbs flat.. Ava eats everything and was happy to get back to her Pokemon DS game... When I told Ms J about my little adventure with this blog and her role with it. She said "that's great Mom" with just a hint of the teenage ambivalence to come. I made the deal with her that she could have the cupcake she wanted now for a bite of what I was cooking later, she was tentative but the drive for dessert led her to agree.

Let's talk for a minute for those who don't know Ms J's eating terminology. First (and usually) there is a face like she smelled something horrid, nose crinkled.. eyes looking like they are going to start watering.. and she grunts the equivalent of "no way" and looks for the closest way to spit it out! This will be Thumbs Down.

Thumbs Up: Saved for all things fried, fattening, chocolate based and not a vegetable in sight or smell.

Thumbs Flat: This is somewhere in between the nose crinkle and smiling. The face is almost always accompanied by the phrase "It's kinda good". This means, I don't hate it, I don't love it and don't expect me to eat this without some serious bargaining.

The Verdict: Good but needs tweeking..

Do Over: Probably Not..

Tonight's Adventure: Honey Apricot Chicken with Baked Lemon Pilaf..

My First Blog!

Hello All:

So this if my first blog! So why am I blogging? To be honest, it's a way to share the time I spend pouring over cookbooks, e-books, apps and menu planning. What can I say, I love this stuff! Am I a chef? Only in my imagination. I'm a Mom, Wife, Sister, Daughter, Friend with a passion for cooking.

Today's foray into the culinary world.. Spanish Chicken Stew with Manchego Polenta. I found this recipe from my app, Rachael Ray's Tasty Bytes app. I have to give Ms. Ray props for fueling my interest in food! A trip down memory lane is coming, so you can skip to the below if you feel a yawn coming on, I fell in love with her show on the Food Network several years ago. She was funny, down to earth and just enough quarky that I thought, I could be friends with this woman! I tried a few 30 minute meals and I was hooked! I can do this!

Ok, now back to present time. So I create a meal plan on Sundays, while my husband sleeps in as Sundays are his turn (mine are Saturdays).. Then I'm off to shopping. Usually, shopping involves endless pleas with our daughter to stop touching things, trying to speed read because I don't know when she's going to have a meltdown and watching the clock to make sure that I don't forget to get one of my girls from school!

Meal Planning: This involves alot of cookbooks, a new app called Mealboard (awesome app) and time.

Cooking: This involves varying degrees of time and basic skills. If I'm dying to try this recipe or the memory of a dish is pulling on my tastebuds.. I'm willing to invest the time! Most of my recipes are not "fancy" or as my mom would say "high-fluting" (whatever that means).. just food that sounds amazing, seems realitively easy to prepare and has a slight chance that most people in my family will eat!

Hope you stay tuned! I'll let you know tomorrow how well (or not) Spanish Chicken Stew with Manchego Polenta goes over.