Recipe #5, Week 7

This week we were invited to a Souper Sunday party, so I finally made the Weight Watchers Corned Beef and Corn Chowder. It was delicious. However, I'm not 100% sure I did it right.
The recipe calls for "45 fl oz canned cream of potato soup, made with fat-free milk."

1 can of cream of potato soup is 10 3/4 oz and is made by adding 1 can of milk.

So, to achieve "45 fl oz canned cream of potato soup, made with fat-free milk," would you use 4 cans of soup + 4 cans of milk or would you use 2 cans of soup + 2 cans of milk?

I interpreted it as the former which made way more than the 6 servings, one heaping cup per serving listed as the yield. Therefore, I'm pretty sure I did this wrong? It still tastes fine but it is definitly soupy, not thick and chowder-ry.

Ugh.

Recipe #4, Week 6?: Warm Pot-Sticker and Edamame Salad

That's right - two recipes so far this week! While this one falls more into the "throwing things together" category, a coworker told me that the simple fact that I'm making food at home should count as cooking for a while. I'm going with that theory. So here it is ...

Warm Pot-Sticker and Edamame Salad

1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
5 frozen chicken-vegetable pot stickers or gyoza
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans, or mukimame)
2/3 cup warm water
2 cups shredded cabbage mix for coleslaw
1 tablespoon low-fat sesame-ginger salad dressing (such as Newman's Own)

Heat oil in a medium pot. Carefully add pot stickers, edamame and water. Cover; cook 8 minutes. Meanwhile, toss cabbage mix and dressing in a large bowl. Move cooked pot stickers to a cutting board and cut each into a few pieces. Toss with dressed cabbage and edamame.

Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2

Approximate values per serving: 261 calories, 11 g fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 11 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, 415 mg sodium, 38 percent calories from fat.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/food/simplemeals/articles/0311simple-meal-pot-sticker-salad-recipe.html#ixzz18I60D0T5

 

Super easy, yummy, make quickly after work meal. Pretty filling, too.

Recipe #3, Week ?

This week's recipe was Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sage Corn Bread Crust from epicurious.com. It came highly recommended from a coworker and got 4 out of 5 stars from the husband. I must admit he went into the meat market to purchased the tenderloin, held my hand through the searing process, and set up his thermometer to tell us when the 155 degree goal was met, but otherwise I did make this on my own.

 Help From The Hubby

Finished Product

I didn't do so well with the crust. I tried to get it all around and all that resulted in was a bunch of it left in the bottom of the pan. I also didn't  let it brown/crisp enough before tenting it with foil, so I'll let it go longer next time. Overall, delicious and we will make it again.

This Week's Recipe - Step 1

Today's recipe begins with corn muffins. Hmm ... What could it be?




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Recipe #2, Week 5?: Allison's Drunken Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Starting the lettuce wraps recipe required finding the wok. Here it is buried on a couch in our basement, which I realized could be on an episode of horders.

Lots of chopping, a phone-a-friend, and a glass of wine later, the lettuce wraps were made. While they tasted fine, I was not overly impressed with all the required chopping (without my handy-dandy as-seen-on-tv chopper thingy, I would've given up for sure) and the straining that was needed but not mentioned in the receipe (as discovered via phone-a-friend-in-a-panic). However, the husband devoured it and gave it two thumbs up, so I will have to attempt it again.

Possible modifications on attempt #2: marinate chicken in the SoyVay prior to cooking, strain excess liquid from veggies and chicken before adding SoyVay, and don't overcook the veggies, which I think I did because "until tender" is not specific enough for me. I will add specifics to the recipe when I attempt it again.

So, overall a success!

Fallen Behind

So, I've fallen way behind on this challenge. I did not cook for myself while the husband was out of town. Just couldn't get up the energy to do it.

On a positive note, I did go to Costco, the meat market, AND Kroger on Saturday, getting food for the week and my Thanksgiving dinner contribution. This much grocery shopping is unheard of for me, especially in one day.

We also cooked two meals at home on Sunday. Eggs, toast, and chicken sausages for breakfast and corned beef brisket sandwiches and fries for dinner. While these were not new recipes, I cannot remember the last time we cooked a full day's meals at home.

So I consider all of this a win even though I didn't get around to the new recipes. It's all movement in the right direction for me. I even left my husband with plenty to eat while I'm gone, which was very housewifey for me if I do say so myself.

I don't know if I will get to the corned beef chowder because I am out of town tonight and tomorrow for work and I'm sure the corned beef will not survive until I get back. We'll see. Also, I have the ingredients for the lettuce wraps so I will make them later this week for sure.

THE PLAN - Recipe #3, Week 4

Because I'm playing catch up, this weekend I will also make Weight Watcher's Corned Beef and Corn Chowder! Simple soup that I can take for lunches or freeze for later.

For the soup, I will make a corned beef brisket, which I actually do know how to do because it is just boiling. There will be too much brisket for the soup so I will also make reuben sandwiches.

All this cooking may get me caught up to four weeks, four recipes, no? I guess not because the brisket and sandwiches aren't new to me, but all this cooking deserves some sort of reward!

THE PLAN - Recipe#2, Week 4

Recipe #2 will be Allison's Drunken Chicken Lettuce Wraps! A book club favorite that was finally documented by Mrs. Hallbee. This recipe will work well for one and will give me a chance to use the wok. Yes, it was a wedding present. I vow to go get the ingredients tomorrow at lunch and make tomorrow night. I will not fear the estimated amounts; I'm just going to go with it.

I'm calling this "Drunken Chicken Lettuce Wraps" because 1) they are drunken with yummy sauce and 2) it took Allison explaining it to us about 3 times before I could remember enough to attempt myself. Thanks for a great recipe Allison.

2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

Finely diced vegetables, about 1/2 to 1 cup each (carrots, celery, red pepper, onions)

1 small can diced water chestnuts

Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce (I think Allison uses Very Very Teriyaki)

Iceberg lettuce in large pieces

Prepared rice (white or brown will do - I used TJ frozen jasmine)

La Choy rice noodles

Note: amounts are estimated...

In large wok or saute pan start to cook firm vegetables (carrots first), adding rest of vegetables and 2-3 tablespoons of Soyaki sauce. Cook vegetables until tender. Move vegettables to outside of pan and add chicken to pan with 2-3 tablespoons additional sauce. Add chestnuts and more sauce if needed. Continue cooking and stirring until chicken is done.

Serve with rice, lettuce wraps, rice noodles and extra sauce.

Recipe #2, Week 3 - FAIL

The truth is, I just didn't feel like cooking something just for myself. Poor excuse.

I'm going to need some parameters and a little bit more discipline if this is ever going to become a real challenge.

So next week I will be making two new recipes. I better get started tomorrow before the week gets away from me again!

A Suggestion for Recipe #2

This recipe came in from my friend that gave me the idea to start trying one "new" recipe per week. Of course, I'm going to have to call her now (or you could post a comment, lady) regarding the chicken caveat and the mysterious "toward end" instruction. Oh, and what is shoepeg corn? And beans in a jar? And small versus large as measurements isn't going to work for me. You all may think I'm exaggerating, but I will stand in the aisle forever trying to figure this out if I go in unprepared. I don't even want to talk about the time I spent staring at the canned tomatoes ...

"A suggestion for #2 - quick, easy, healthy and makes a lot. Let me know if you need suggestions on cooking the chicken - you don't want to use precooked."

White Chicken Chili:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 14 oz. cans chicken broth
2 C. chopped onions
1 large jar Great Northern white beans
2 T. minced garlic
1 4.5 oz. can green chilis
1 small can shoepeg white corn
2 t. cumin
2 t. oregano
1/2 t. cayenne

Saute onion and garlic with olive oil until translucent. Combine ingredients and simmer on low for one hour adding corn toward end.

Catching Fireflies: Life is Short - Eat Cookies Giveaway

I've entered this contest! Wouldn't it be fun to add cookies/baking to the lineup with these cool tools? It also says, "Just let your friends & followers know if they happen to win, you get some of the goodies too. :-)" Click here to enter too. Good luck!

The Hunt For Recipe #2, Week 3

Well, since a.) we will be eating the lasagna all week since it generously serves six and we are two, and b.) the husband is closing every night this week and then will be at hunt camp, I think I should get to skip Recipe #2, Week 3. Although, I suppose that would not be in the spirit of this self-imposed challenge. Also, people have started asking me about Recipe #2, so nothing like a little obligation ... I mean motivation to keep things moving.

So the hunt begings for Recipe #2. Needs to be something that results in a reasonable amount of food for this hunting widow to eat over one or two nights or for lunches during the week. Maybe I should do soup as the husband doesn't like soup and I could freeze some. We shall see. Soup seems like a lot of ingredients and this may quickly become Adventures in Actually Cooking  - Crockpot Edition. As if I would ever cook enough to have Editions. But I digress. On to recipe hunting.

Recipe #1 - Success!

Super easy to put together. Three hours on low to cheesy goodness. I thought the sauce was a little bland and wonder if jar sauce could be used or if anyone would have any suggestions for spicing up the sauce a bit. I seem to remember hearing something about not putting too many spices in crockpots, although I don't remember what it was or why. Husband suggested adding some pepperoni or jarred sauce with meat. Modifications scare me.

Either way, I solemnly vow to never buy frozen lasagna again!

Recipe 1; Week 2

The lasagna is in the crockpot! And on hangover day after bookclub. Very proud for picking up the ingredients yesterday and getting off the couch today to make it. I hope it's delicious!

Here Goes Nothin'!

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Recipe #1; Week ... 3?

So here's the truth: I decided to start this challenge last week after talking with my friend and seeing Jessica Seinfeld's "Double Delicious!: Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives" recipes on Oprah. I printed out the Crockpot Lasagna recipe and intended to start.

The first issue was that the recipe online was incorrect. I discovered this because I gave the recipe to a coworker who was cooking-smart enought to realize that one can of crushed tomatoes is not enough sauce for two containers of ricotta, twelve lasagna noodles, and whatever else is in there. Upon further investigation, the recipe is supposed to have three cans of crushed tomatoes.

So here's problem with cooking #1: Those of you who say, "Cooking is easy; just follow a recipe!" are full of it. If I had spend six hours (counting grocery store trip, assembly, and cook time) making a dry-as-bone lasagna because the recipe was misprinted and I am not cooking savy, I would have been livid. While assembling, would I have eventually realized there was not enough sauce? Sure, because I like sauce. But I proabably would not have been confident enough to modify the recipe on my own. Would I have thought to go read the reviews and see if there was an issue with the recipe? Maybe. But we'll never know.

So that was last week. I got invited last minute to a haunted bike tour and ran out of time in week one. This is week two but I've been cleaning for book club and have not made it to a grocery store. If I buy the ingredients while shopping for book club tomorrow, I may squeeze the recipe in on Sunday. If not, I'll be Recipe #1 Week 3. Who said I could handle this?

Getting Started

I do not cook. At best, I'd say I make food, meaning I assemble already prepared or mostly prepared items into simple dishes. If anything takes more than an hour ... or half an hour, if I'm being completely honest ... to get to my plate, forget about it. If I do attempt a recipe, it has to have 10 or less ingredients that are easily recognizable and obtainable, and there can't be any complicated steps like searing or braising or god knows what.

I don't fully understand why this is. I guess part of this challenge will be to explore my hang ups and get over them. But in general, I'm busy and I'd rather spend my free time being outdoors with the husband or reading or shopping or playing with my dog or basically anything other than spending hours in the kitchen only to have ruined food or results that I could've gotten for $7.95 at the local diner in half the time.

So why bother trying to cook? I do love home-cooked food. I love the smells coming from the kitchen and the ability to control the ingredients that will be entering my system. I love when friends show up with amazing dishes prepared with love. I marvel at a friend who makes pork tenderloin, and green beans almondine, and scalloped potatoes, all from scratch for her family of four on a Tuesday after working all day at her professional job. I marvel at my husband who loves to cook when he has time and makes me grilled, cedar-planked, butter and wine injected, goodness-encrusted prime rib on my birthday or on a random day because it sounded good. I feel a need to at least try and reciprocate the love. And be a little healthier and find some happiness with food along the way.

So here's my challenge. A good friend made a resolution to make one new recipe per week and I think this is something I could handle. Of course this implies that I make other old recipes the rest of the time, which isn't true, but this is a start. No other rules at this point. Just find a new recipe, go to the grocery store (yikes!), and make the food at some point within a week's time. Double yikes.