Monday, August 23, 2010

Greek Chicken Orzo Skillet


Remember a million years ago when I made a crap ton of chicken and froze it into different meals (AKA power cooking)? Well, I finally tried one of them. I was scared, I admit it. But it actually came out ok! It's not the epitome of haute cuisine by any means, but definitely better than any other store bought frozen microwaved dinner shenanigans (although I don't know how Weight Watchers does it, but their Smart Ones Three Cheese Ziti is delicious, cheesy, yet low in points heaven - get on it).

Also, Pampered Chef wasn't joking when they said this would make 6 servings - it's 6 large servings, and to be honest with you, I was sick of it after eating it for the third meal in a row. But I also get sick of foods very quickly. Unlike my dear friend Nicole, God love her, who ate the same Chicken Tikka Masala from the same Indian place everyday for a month straight while we were studying for the California Bar Exam. She passed; I didn't. Maybe there was something in the curry.

But I digress - to rehash, here's the recipe from my previous post:

Greek Chicken Orzo Skillet

To prepare and freeze:
1 portion Make-Ahead Chicken
2 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-in. pieces
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) garlic and onion flavored diced tomatoes
3 tbsp Greek Rub (substitute with lemon zest, dried oregano, and pepper)
To finish and serve:
2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
½ cup water
1 lb uncooked orzo
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
½ cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives (optional)
1. Prepare and freeze

In Bag 1, combine chicken and zucchini.

In Bag 2, combine beans, tomatoes and rub.

Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze for up to three months.


2. Finish and serve!

To cook and serve from freezer:

Add contents of Bag 2, broth and water to (12-in.) Skillet; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook 8-10 minutes or until mixture comes to a simmer, breaking contents apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula.
Reduce heat to medium; add orzo. Cover and cook 5 minutes (or halfway through cooking time, according to package directions), stirring occasionally.

Add contents of Bag 1. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until orzo is tender and zucchini begins to soften. Remove from heat; top with feta cheese. Sprinkle with olives, if desired.

So let's begin, shall we?


The ingredients: my bag of frozen stuff (as prepared earlier), chicken broth, orzo, feta, olives (not pictured - they're shy).


Add the frozen hunk of bag 2 to some water and chicken broth, cover, and bring to a simmer. It looks kinda sketchy right now. I was nervous.


But then it all melts and looks like this - soup! Reduce heat and dump in the entire box of orzo, cover and cook for 5 minutes.


Now, add the other bag, cover, and cook for 5-7 more minutes.


And voila...this is starting to look pretty edible, amirite people? At this point I did a taste test and it was a little bland, so I added some salt and pepper to taste.


Now sprinkle on the feta and olives, and serve.

Blogging FAIL


I haven't posted since August 4....which is almost 20 days of blogging failure. Sorry folks! It was crazy at work, then I got sick, then it was my birthday, then then then then. (Cue the sad trombone noise). I will be back at it this week with more random foodstuffs and rants.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I'm Way Overdue for Some Dessert!



There's entirely too much chicken and bacon being cooked in my apartment - I need to bake and post more desserts. A thousand apologies, faithful readers! Although it might be because when I cook desserts, I tend to eat my body weight in them without restraint (as does my husband). Not good.

I have a couple of those dry cookie mixes from Betty Crocker sitting in my pantry (it's actually a coat closet converted into a pantry because I live in a crappy apartment - it's super ghetto and I call it my "hoarder closet". Maybe if convinced I will post a pic of it so you can all point and laugh). The mixes are surprisingly tasty and very easy, usually requiring only some water, an egg and oil or butter.

Mike loves peanut butter, so I grabbed a quick recipe online at Betty Crocker for Layered Peanut Butter Bars that uses one of the cookie mixes as a base. You could certainly whip up your own peanut butter cookie base from scratch if you are so compelled, but um, I'm lazy and ME WANT COOKIES.


Hi, friends!

Mix the cookie ingredients together until it starts to form a ball.


Press into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan, pop it into a 350 degree oven, and bake for 15-18 mins.



Once the cookie is done, let cool completely and resist the urge to feast upon it. I never said baking was easy, people.

Now beat the sugar, milk, butter and peanut butter until smooth and then spread on top of the cookie. This whipped stuff is no short of awesome, next time I make the recipe, I'm doubling it!


Next, melt the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave, then spread over cookie and whipped layer. Let the chocolate firm up in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until you can bear it no longer!

Dig in.


Layered Peanut Butter Bars

Cookie Base

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 egg

Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Frosting
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl, stir all Cookie Base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan using floured fingers. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In small bowl, beat all Filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cookie base.

In microwavable bowl, microwave all Frosting ingredients on High 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Summer Corn Chowder



Another new recipe chock full o'veggies (and yet negated by copious amounts of bacon and cream), this time from the foodie blog,  Food52. Food52 is a pseudo-fancy schmancy blog with oftentimes highbrow recipes and ingredients (blood oranges or swordfish anyone?), but they do have a cool weekly reader challenge where they give one ingredient, readers submit their recipes featuring said ingredient, and a winner is chosen based on reader's votes. This corn chowder recipe was one of those lauded winners.

I'm not going to lie to you - this recipe takes flippin' forever. I made it on a weekday when I got home from work at 6pm, and it wasn't ready until almost 9pm. I was starving and thiiiis close to eating my arm but reconsidered - I didn't think a gnawed limb would look very cute in my new Forever 21 dress. 

So with that in mind, leave this recipe for a boring Sunday. It is pretty delicious but labor-intensive. Lots of chopping and such. It has creamy, sweet tones from the corn and then a little spicy kick from the peppers. I'm a spicy food wimp (revoke my Brown People card ASAP!), and I thought the spice was perfect and not too over the top. Two thumbs up!

My one tip: make sure the potatoes are chopped into small pieces...like smaller than potato salad pieces. One inch square-ish. Otherwise you will be standing around the kitchen waiting for those stupid potato chunks to cook for like an hour, and lack of patience + Rachel the Monster is hungry = HOT MESS.



See! Chock full o'veggies! (And bacon. Cough.)


I wonder how many times I will be forced against my will as a healthy-vegan-gluten-free eater to cook bacon. 


Today is Opposite Day.




Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain off some (not all - that will just be our little secret) of the bacon drippings, and throw in the onions to brown.




Then add the celery and peppers.



Now dump in everything else other than the cream, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Then add the milk, cream, and pepper and heat through.




Ladle into bowls and garnish with the fairy dust of foods.


Summer Corn Chowder

6 medium ears of corn
6 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion
1 medium poblano, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small celery rib, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
2 medium boiling potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of sugar
1 small bay leaf
2 cups light cream, at room temperature
1 cup milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley, for garnish


Working over a bowl, cut the corn kernels from the cobs at about half their depth. Then, using the back of the knife, scrape the cobs over the bowl to release all the "milk"; set aside.

In a large saucepan, fry the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Crumble and reserve.

Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the pan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the poblano pepper, jalapeño and celery and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, salt, allspice, sugar, bay leaf and the reserved corn kernels and their "milk" and stir well. Cook over moderate heat until mixture begins to sizzle.

Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the cream and milk and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and season with black pepper to taste. Ladle the chowder into bowls and garnish with the crumbled bacon and parsley.


Shanty 2 Chic

Monday, August 2, 2010

Bacon, Linguini & Tomato Toss




I like bacon. It is magical. Bibbidy bobbidy BACON! I also like Jim Gaffigan - if you haven't watched the clip above, please do so now. It's ok, I'll wait.............. Funny, right? 


I'm trying yet another brand new recipe today from Pampered Chef. I guess I'm partial to them because I had one of the most amazing desserts ever at a Pampered Chef party (I'll make it and post the recipe, promise)!



The ingredients - I didn't have linguine so I subbed in thin spaghetti. So shoot me. I also used the entire package of bacon. You should definitely shoot me for that one. 




Chop up an onion. Try not to cry. If you cry, blame Sarah Palin. I like to blame her for all my troubles.




Chop up the bacon into bite size pieces, then fry it up in a large pot. Once browned, drain bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Pour off most of the bacon grease.




Dump in the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. 




Once the onion is cooked through and soft, pour in the warmed both and tomatoes, salt, half the bacon, and pasta. Cover and simmer for nine minutes. Take off heat, stir in cream cheese and parsley. Let sit, covered for five minutes. Nice things with happen.



Hello, lover.




Serve topped with remaining bacon, parsley, and Parmesan cheese.



Dig in!




Bacon, Linguini and Tomato Toss

12 slices bacon, divided
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
12 oz uncooked linguine pasta
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, divided
4 oz cream cheese
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
halved grape tomatoes (optional)
 

Slice bacon crosswise into 1/4-in. strips. Place into 12-in. Skillet; cook over medium-high heat 8-9 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from Skillet; drain on paper towels. Drain Skillet, leaving 1 tbsp dripping in Skillet.
 

Meanwhile, place broth and diced tomatoes in large bowl. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 6-8 minutes or until hot; carefully remove from microwave. On clean Cutting Board, finely chop onion. Return Skillet to heat; add garlic pressed with Garlic Press and pepper flakes, if desired. Cook 10-20 seconds or until fragrant. Add onion; cook 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Carefully add broth mixture, pasta, half of the bacon and salt. Simmer covered, 9-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm, stirring occasionally.
 

Finely chop parsley; reserve 1 tbsp for garnish. Cut cream cheese into cubes. Grate Parmesan cheese. Cut grape tomatoes in half, if using. Remove Skillet from heat. Stir in remaining parsley, cream cheese and grape tomatoes, if desired. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened. Serve with remaining bacon, Parmesan cheese and reserved parsley.

Yield: 6 servings

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Power Cooking (huh?)



In my spare time, I like to scour the internetz for interesting recipes and blogs about food. I should probably be using said spare time to work out...or clean...or anything remotely productive. But alas. Anyhoo, I found some websites about something called "power cooking". I had never heard of such a thing, and apparently, it's NOT a euphemism for using the microwave (or anything else for that matter - get your mind out of the gutter! Oh wait, maybe that's just me).

So power cooking is basically cooking and freezing multiple meals in one fell swoop, saving you time on a weeknight because you can literally pull a bag from the freezer, heat it up, and have dinner. Or if you're me, saving you from getting Mickey D's because you're being lazy and want to watch a marathon of "16 and Pregnant" on MTV after work with a glass of wine.

I found some recipes from Pampered Chef for using either boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, which happened to be on sale at the grocery store and thought I'd give these shenanigans a whirl. Come along with me on my scary frozen meal journey!



Here's the ingredients - it looks like a lot, but again, this will make five dinners (of six servings each)...so 30 meals total.



You start with cooking some chopped chicken breast in oil on the stove, one pound of chicken per recipe (the recipes below are for three pounds of chicken, which makes three recipes). I'm fully committing to this - so I'm making all five recipes, which means cooking 5 pounds of chicken.



Then get out your freezer bags and permanent markers and start labeling! I included the recipe name, the items that need to be added at the time of serving, and the date.




Now you can start filling the bags with the ingredients (listed in the recipes below). Evenly distribute the chicken in the five bags, seal, and mix. Place the bags laying flat in your freezer and you are done!



A printable pdf of the recipes listed below from Pampered Chef can be found here, and probably will make more sense than my never ending list. I will be updating with future blog posts when I actually sit down and eat some of this stuff - cross your fingers it's edible!

Make Ahead Chicken
3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs (or 1 lb per recipe - I'm trying all 5 recipes, so I made 5 lbs of chicken)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1. Cut chicken into ½-in. cubes using Chef's Knife.
2. Heat oil in (12-in.) Skillet over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add chicken and cook 7-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain chicken, if necessary.
3. Divide chicken into three portions.  

Stir Fry Chicken  
To prepare and freeze
1 portion Make-Ahead Chicken
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (soybeans)
2/3 cup prepared stir-fry sauce
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into julienne strips
3 cups small broccoli florets
2 tbsp Asian Seasoning Mix (this is a Pampered Chef product that I don't own - you can instead substitute: one 1 inch piece of fresh finely grated ginger, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper)

To finish and serve
1 tsp vegetable oil
½ cup water
6 cups hot cooked rice
Sliced green onions and coarsely chopped peanuts (optional)

1. Prepare and freeze
In Bag 1, combine chicken, edamame and stir-fry sauce.
In Bag 2, combine carrots, broccoli and seasoning mix.
Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze for up to three months.

2. Finish and serve!
To cook and serve immediately :
Heat oil in (12-in.) Skillet over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add contents of Bag 2. Cook 3-5 minutes or until broccoli is slightly tender.
Add contents of Bag 1. Cook 3-5 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender and chicken is hot.
Serve stir-fry with rice. If desired, garnish with sliced green onions and coarsely chopped peanuts.

To cook and serve from freezer :
Omit oil. Add contents of Bag 2 and water to (12-in.) Skillet; cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Add contents of Bag 1 to Skillet; cover. Cook 4-6 minutes or until mixture is heated through and vegetables are crisp-tender, breaking chicken apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula.
Serve as directed above.
Yield: 6 servings


Dijon Chicken Noodle Toss
To prepare and freeze
1 portion Make-Ahead Chicken
2 cups frozen peas
¼ lb deli ham, diced into ¼-in. pieces
1 can (10¾ oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard


To finish and serve
12 oz uncooked rotini pasta
½ cup water
8 oz sour cream
1 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
¼ cup snipped fresh parsley

1. Prepare and freeze
In Bag 1, combine chicken and peas.
In Bag 2, combine ham, soup and mustard.
Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze for up to three months.

2. Finish and serve!
To cook and serve immediately:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Meanwhile, place water and contents of Bag 2 in (12-in.) Skillet; cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Add sour cream to Skillet. Reduce heat to medium; add contents of Bag 1. Cover and cook 4-6 minutes or until chicken is hot, stirring occasionally.
Toss cooked pasta with parsley. Spoon chicken mixture over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

To cook and serve from freezer:
Cook and drain pasta as directed above.
Meanwhile, place water and contents of Bag 2 in (12-in.) Skillet; cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking
contents apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula.
Proceed as directed above.
Yield: 6 servings


Greek Chicken Orzo Skillet
To prepare and freeze
1 portion Make-Ahead Chicken
2 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-in. pieces
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) garlic and onion flavored diced tomatoes
3 tbsp Greek Rub (substitute with lemon zest, dried oregano, and pepper)

To finish and serve
2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
½ cup water
1 lb uncooked orzo
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
½ cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives (optional)

1. Prepare and freeze
In Bag 1, combine chicken and zucchini.
In Bag 2, combine beans, tomatoes and rub.
Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze for up to three months.

2. Finish and serve!
To cook and serve immediately:
Add contents of Bag 2, broth and water to (12-in.) Skillet; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to medium; add orzo. Cover and cook 5 minutes (or halfway through cooking time, according to package directions), stirring occasionally.
Add contents of Bag 1. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until orzo is tender and zucchini begins to soften. Remove from heat; top with feta cheese. Sprinkle with
olives, if desired.

To cook and serve from freezer:
Add contents of Bag 2, broth and water to (12-in.) Skillet; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook 8-10 minutes or until mixture comes to a simmer, breaking
contents apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula.
Proceed as directed above.
Yield: 6 servings


Smoky Black Bean Chicken Wraps
To prepare and freeze
1 portion Make-Ahead Chicken
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp Smoky Barbecue Rub, divided
2 cups cooked rice

To finish and serve
½ cup water
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
6 11-in. flour tortillas
Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and barbecue sauce or Louisiana hot sauce (optional)

1. Prepare and freeze
In Bag 1, combine chicken, beans and 2 tbsp of the rub.
In Bag 2, combine rice and remaining 1 tbsp rub.
Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze for up to three months.

2. Finish and serve!
To cook and serve immediately:
Omit water. Place contents of Bags 1 and 2 into (12-in.) Skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 3-5 minutes or until chicken is heated through.
To assemble wraps, divide cheese evenly among tortillas; top with chicken mixture and optional ingredients, if desired.
Roll up tortillas tightly. Cut wraps in half on a bias
and serve.

To cook and serve from freezer:
Add contents of Bag 1 and water to (12-in.) Skillet; cover. Cook over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes or until hot, breaking chicken apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula.
Add contents of Bag 2 to Skillet; cook 4-6 minutes or
until mixture is heated through.
Assemble wraps as directed above.
Yield: 6 servings


Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup
To prepare and freeze
1 portion Make-Ahead Chicken
3 cups tortilla chips, finely crushed
2 cups frozen corn kernels
8 oz pasteurized process cheese spread, cut into 1-in. cubes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 tbsp Chipotle Rub (2-3 tbsp chopped, canned chipotle peppers can be substituted for the Chipotle Rub)

To finish and serve
2 cans (14 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
Optional toppings, such as shredded cheddar cheese, snipped fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes and additional crushed tortilla chips

1. Prepare and freeze
In Bag 1, combine chicken, chips and corn.
In Bag 2, combine cheese spread, tomatoes and rub.
Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze for up to three months.

2. Finish and serve!
To cook and serve immediately:
Add contents of Bag 2 and broth to (4-qt.) Casserole.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.
Add contents of Bag 1 to Casserole; simmer 4-6 minutes or until soup is thickened.
Serve soup with optional toppings, if desired.

To cook and serve from freezer:
Cook contents of Bag 2 and broth as directed above, whisking occasionally using Silicone Sauce Whisk.
Add contents of Bag 1 and cook as directed above, breaking chicken apart as necessary using Bamboo Spatula.
Serve soup with optional toppings, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings