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Light Bites – Quinoa Salad

Sep 3rd, 2010
by amanda.
1 comment

My friend Pam started a new cooking group called Light Bites and you know I had to join. We, along with our friend Melynda, are going to take turns choosing recipes from Cooking Light to cook or bake. We would love more members so visit this page if you’re interested.

The first recipe that Pam chose is Chicken & Couscous Salad. Umm… you may notice that my dish doesn’t have chicken. Or couscous. Or anything the recipe calls for except green onions. Can I explain myself?

I got back from my trip pretty late last Tuesday and it totally threw me off my schedule. I woke up the next morning thinking I had to make this immediately and since I didn’t want to go to the store, I had to work with what I had.

I used quinoa instead of couscous, decided I didn’t need chicken since the quinoa is a protein, used carrots instead of the veggies in the original, and topped it with some chopped almonds instead of pine nuts.

After I got done making it, photographing it, and sweating the idea of Pam being mad at me for making something completely different, she reminded me that it wasn’t supposed to be done until today. Doh!

It was actually pretty good for being a random ingredients thrown together. I don’t generally like quinoa but the cumin is strong enough to kind of cancel out that weird taste that quinoa has. Pam has the original recipe up for you if you’re interested.

We’re making bacon mac & cheese next week. Yes, from Cooking Light. Just throwing that out there in case anyone wants to join.

(Bet you can’t guess who chose that one.)

Posted in: Meatless.
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Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms & Bacon

Sep 2nd, 2010
by amanda.
1 comment

Chicken thighs aren’t something I cook with often. Something about the way it just falls apart really skeeves me out. But I saw this recipe and knew it would be delicious. Mushrooms and bacon? Yes, please. Mushrooms and bacon with a marsala sauce? MAKE IT NOW.

Because the chicken is braised, it does become very soft very quickly and I’m afraid if you’re not watching it, it will begin to fall apart. The original recipe calls for bone-in thighs and I’m sure that would hold it together better but you guys know how I feel about chicken on the bone.

The sauce is so delicious! The marsala taste is obvious but it’s different from most marsala sauces since it has tomato in it. It’s very rich and you don’t need much to be satisfied. I didn’t eat a lot of chicken but the sauce on top of some caramelized onion risotto with the bacon and mushrooms was a great dinner. Make sure you use low-sodium broth and taste before you season because the bacon does add quite a bit of salt.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms & Bacon
adapted from Elly Says Opa!

2 thick strips of bacon, chopped
1 pound boneless chicken thighs
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 sprig of thyme or small pinch of dried thyme
2 cloves garlic
1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup marsala
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

Heat a small dutch oven/casserole to medium-high.  Add the bacon and cook until your desired doneness and the fat has rendered.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Drain off the fat if there is more than 1/2 Tbsp. remaining.

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add to the hot pot, searing on both sides.  Remove and set aside.

To the pot, add the onion, cooking until translucent.  Add the mushrooms, thyme & garlic and sauté an additional few minutes until the mushrooms have released most of their moisture.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook it off for about a minute.  Pour in the marsala and deglaze, scraping the browned bits up and allowing the wine to evaporate almost entirely.

Add the broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, add the chicken back in, and then simmer on low for about 30 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through. Stir in the bacon and season to taste. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Posted in: chicken.
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Banana Pudding Ice Cream

Sep 1st, 2010
by amanda.
6 comments

Growing up I always confused banana pudding and banana splits. Don’t ask me how, I just did. I would request Blue Bell’s Banana Split ice cream thinking that I was asking for Banana Pudding and then I would be so disappointed when my beloved ice cream had cherries in it. It happened every single time.

Well no more disappointment for me. I can make my own banana pudding ice cream that is every bit as good as Blue Bell’s, maybe even better. It really tastes like I took a big pan of banana pudding and put it in the freezer. It’s safe to say that it’s my new favorite ice cream and even my husband, who is a die-hard strawberry ice cream fan, said it was one of my best.

And while we’re talking about bananas, I have been getting so many comments and emails about the Cream Cheese Banana Bread I posted awhile back. If you haven’t made it, you really should!

Banana Pudding Ice Cream
adapted from Southern Living

3/4  cup  sugar
2  tablespoons  cornstarch
1/8  teaspoon  salt
2  cups  milk
1  cup  heavy whipping cream
1  egg yolk
1 1/2  teaspoons vanilla extract
3  medium-size ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/3  cup  firmly packed light brown sugar
1  tablespoon  butter
1  cup  coarsely crumbled vanilla wafers, plus more for sprinkling on top

Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolk until slightly thickened. Gradually whisk about 1 cup hot cream mixture into yolk. Add yolk mixture to remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in vanilla extract. Cool 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. Combine bananas, brown sugar, and butter in a 2-qt. baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until browned and softened, stirring after 10 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes.

Coarsely mash banana mixture; stir into cooled cream mixture. Place plastic wrap directly on cream mixture, and chill 8 to 24 hours.

Pour mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Before transferring ice cream to an airtight container for further freezing, stir in vanilla wafers. Sprinkle more crushed wafers over top before serving.

Posted in: frozen goodies.
Tagged: ·

Parmesan Chicken Nuggets

Aug 31st, 2010
by amanda.
4 comments

Chicken nuggets are a staple around here. My 3 year old goes through stages where he won’t eat anything but chicken nuggets so when we’re dealing with that, I prefer to make them so that I know exactly what goes into them.

These are our favorites nuggets! My husband and I were eating them long before our kid started eating solid foods so you know they’re good. Before I discovered panko bread crumbs, I used the regular kind and they worked fine so if you don’t have panko in your pantry, don’t make a special trip for them. Also, a little dried thyme is delicious in these – just mix it into the bread crumb mixture.

Parmesan Chicken Nuggets

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size cubes
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a medium bowl, mix together Panko, Parmesan, and salt; set aside. Put melted butter in a pie plate or other shallow dish.

Dip chicken into butter and then coat with Panko mixture. Place on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Posted in: chicken.
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Baking with Betty

Aug 30th, 2010
by amanda.
9 comments

One week ago I was on my way to Minneapolis to hang out with a fabulous group of bloggers so I thought I would finally recap the crazy day we spent in Betty Crocker’s kitchen.

We were invited to the kitchens to play with all of Betty’s boxed mixes but before they let us loose in the kitchens, we went on a brief tour of General Mills headquarters and also learned the history of Betty Crocker over breakfast.

I think all 30 of us had to wipe the drool off our faces when we looked down into Betty’s kitchens. They are amazing. Ovens around every corner and so much counter space to work on. What more could you ask for?

We were broken up into groups so that we could take turns at the different station they had set up and at each station they had a Betty Crocker consultant to teach us about the mixes and nudge us along when we got distracted talking about all those things that only bloggers talk about.

There was a definite fall feel to the cake station. We made a Jack-o-Lantern Cake and Mini Pumpkin Cakes and also got to sample Ice Cream Cone Cakes and Tie-Dyed Cupcakes.

Next up was the brownie station. You guys know I don’t use boxed mixes often but I can almost guarantee I have a brownie mix in my pantry at all times. I love the boxed brownies!

At this station, we made Brownies ‘n Berries Dessert Pizza and Brownie Pops.

They also had Brownie Goody Bars (which I heard were amazing) and Rocky Road Brownies for us to sample.

Believe it or not, the Bisquick station was my favorite. I had never bought Bisquick before and I thought the only thing it was good for was pancakes.

We had Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake (didn’t make it into the picture) and Apple Oven Pancake to taste while we made Fresh Lemon Cream Crepes and Caprese Pizza with Crispy Pancetta. I can’t find links for the last 2 but if anyone wants either, just email me.

The pizza… oh the pizza. The pizza was the only thing I sampled all day. I saw it when we walked it and vowed not to ruin my appetite on brownies. And it was worth it. Beyond delicious.

After lunch (where we learned that Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread, and Snickerdoodle cookie mixes will be out this holiday season!!) we went to our final station: cookies. I had no idea the cookie mixes were so versatile. I’ve always used cake mixes to make different things, but cookie mixes? Who knew.

We made Citrus-Kissed Fig Thumbprints and Cranberry Macadamia Bars and also had Red Velvet Rich and Creamy Cookies and Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars to sample. Since coming home, I’ve seen more than one blogger who was at the event make those Fig Thumbprints so they must be really good!

Right before we left for the airport, they took us on a quick tour of the photos studio and prop room. It was really cool to see how they set up for magazine and cookbook shoots and to see just how many people it takes for a single shot. One guy said they were able to get 10 shots on a good day… imagine how long they spend on each shot!

I had an amazing time at Baking with Betty and my only wish is that we could’ve had more than one day in the kitchens.

General Mills paid for my trip and all expenses but I was not asked to blog about or even mention this event. The opinions are all mine.

Posted in: event.
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