Christmas Notebook

macro mondays ~ january 25, 2010

January 26, 2010 – 5:15 pm

The theme for Macro Mondays this week was “paper thin.” I submitted four photos.

I took a picture of the Macro Mondays site, on my computer, with a sheet of vellum across part of the screen.

This is an older shot from our garden. The fragile delicacy of the iris petals fascinates me. It is amazing how well they stand up to wind and rain.

This is shredded gift wrap stuffing. It is so tiny that I didn’t know it was cut in a zigzag pattern until I took the picture.

For this picture, I opened a publishing program, filled a page with blue, and took a picture of the post-it notes in front of the computer screen.

Next week’s theme hasn’t been posted yet…I’ll be checking often to see what we’re shooting for next week!

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ january 25, 2010

January 24, 2010 – 11:03 pm

Best food news this week? Fresh cherries are in! Yeah!

DH requested tilapia for the menu, so that’s up first. I didn’t get to the Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad or the Sweet Mustard Roast last week, so am including them on this menu. Last week, we had Chinese take-out one evening instead of making supper and I changed the menu one evening to make chicken tortellini soup for DD who has had a cough and cold.

Monday
Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
Cauliflower and Potato Gratin
asparagus
Butter Lettuce Sunshine Salad

Tuesday
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

Wednesday
Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Creamy Mushroom Bake
baby bok choy with cashews
mashed potatoes [DD’s favorite]
peas

Thursday
Simply Great Chicken
rice
spinach salad
cornbread

Friday
sweet mustard roast
Oven Fried Potato Wedges
stir-fried sugar snap peas with cherry tomatoes
corn

Saturday
fridge food
Apple Cake in the crock pot

Sunday
Chicken Piccata
couscous
corn
peas
green salad

You can find more menu ideas and recipes at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Tagged menu, menu plan monday | Comments (0)

chicken tortellini soup

January 22, 2010 – 6:39 pm

Our daughter has been home from school for two days with a cold, coughing, fever, etc. I had planned to make Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad for supper tonight, but thought a chicken soup would be better for a sick girl. After looking at a few chicken and tortellini recipes, I came up with my own version.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

2 large chicken breasts, thawed if previously frozen (or 2 c. cooked diced chicken)
stock pot with enough water to cover the chicken breasts
1 c. celery, diced
1 c. carrots, diced
1 onion diced [I used 1 T. dry onion flakes.]
1 T. celery seed
1 tsp. dry basil
1 tsp. freshly minced thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dry thyme)
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 c. chicken broth
12 oz. cheese tortellini pasta [I used dry pasta.]
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped
3 c. spinach leaves, chopped
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (do not drain)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan for garnish, optional

Put the chicken, celery, carrots, onion, celery seed, basil, thyme and garlic in the stock pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a bare simmer, cover, and cook the chicken for 15 minutes. Check internal temperature. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165*. If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, the chicken is done when the juices run clear. Cutting into the thickest part of the chicken should show white meat, with no pink.

Remove chicken and let it rest for ten minutes before dicing it. If using chicken that has already been cooked, simmer the veggies and spices in the stockpot with 2 or 3 inches of water until tender, then proceed from here:

Add the chicken stock to the water and veggies. Bring to rolling boil and add the pasta. Cook for about half the time recommended. Remove from heat. The pasta will continue to cook in the hot liquid.

Dice the chicken and return it to the pot.

Add the parsley, spinach and crushed tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

Serve hot with crusty bread. Sprinkle a little grated Parmesan on top each bowl, if desired. A crisp Romaine salad would be good with it.

After the soup sits, the pasta will soak up a lot of the moisture. If you want your soup with more liquid, add more. Water, broth, or tomato juice/sauce would work fine.

Enjoy! ~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in cooking, Recipes | Tagged chicken tortellini soup, recipe, soup | Comments (4)

stuffed shells florentine

January 21, 2010 – 11:10 pm

Dinner tonight was Stuffed Shells Florentine. We’ve had this before and it’s really good.

Stuffed Shells Florentine [Click the link for the original recipe.]

1 12-oz box jumbo shells for stuffing
3 c. spaghetti sauce
3 c. fresh spinach, chopped
24 oz. Ricotta or cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. chopped parsley
salt to taste
2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided

[If you don’t have spaghetti sauce, you can use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. Sprinkle some dried oregano and basil over it for a some Italian flavor.]

While the water heats for the pasta, prepare your ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375*. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Spread a bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Cook the pasta until al dente. It will continue to cook in the oven, so don’t cook it too soft at this stage. Drain.

While the pasta cooks, give the spinach a rough chop, toss it into a skillet and heat it for a few minutes, stirring a few times. No need to add oil. The water in the spinach will steam it. Don’t take it down to a total wilt. A few minutes of tossing in the skillet will do it. Remove from heat.

Mix the ricotta and the eggs until smooth.

Add the Parmesan, spinach, parsley, salt, and 1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese. Stir till well mixed.

Stuff the shells. I use a small scoop and overfill it slightly. Perfect size.

Put the shells in the 9×13 pan. My pan was a touch smaller, so I layered the extra shells on top. Worked just fine. If making two layers, spread a bit of sauce between the layers. When all the shells are stuffed and in the pan, pour the rest of the sauce on top.

Top the sauce with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover loosely with foil, and bake at 375* for 30 minutes.

I served it with steamed sugar snap peas and toasted homemade bread, topped with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkled with mozzarella cheese and broiled until the cheese melted.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Recipes | Tagged cooking, pasta, recipe, stuffed shells florentine | Comments (2)

hearty ham casserole

January 20, 2010 – 10:37 pm

I perused several food blogs, looking for a recipe to use the extra ham I had in the fridge. I came across this one and decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure about the corn it called for, but it was delicious! We all put it on the “have it again!” list.

Hearty Ham Casserole
The changes I made are shown in bold.

2. c. cooked cubed potatoes
2 c. cooked cubed ham
1 fifteen ounce can of whole kernel golden corn, drained
1/4 c. fresh parsley (optional)
~~1/4 c. butter~~ [I left this out of this part.]
1 T. chopped onion or green onion or leeks [I used 1 T. dry onion flakes.]

Sauce [I used my own recipe for the sauce portion.]
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the casserole ingredients together in a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until combined. Cook for a few minutes before whisking in the milk. Whisk until thickened. Remove from heat.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add the cheese and stir to melt.

Stir the cheese sauce into the ham mixture. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

I tried this recipe as a soup a week later, by adding milk to the recipe. It was good, too, but we liked the casserole better and we’ll be having it again.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Recipes | Tagged casserole, cooking, ham, hearty ham casserole, recipe | Comments (4)

bacon-provolone chicken sandwich

January 20, 2010 – 3:04 pm

What can I say? This is delicious!

I made the buns with my regular bread recipe. The original sandwich recipe called for seasoning the chicken with poultry seasoning, which I did not do. It just didn’t sound good to me. I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper.

Bacon-Provolone Chicken Sandwich Click the link for the original recipe.
Serves six.

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or six small)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil or Canola Oil [I actually used peanut oil.]
6 rolls, split [I used three, as I was serving three people.]
6 strips cooked bacon, cut in half before cooking [I used three.]
6 slices provolone cheese [I used three.]
lettuce [I used a spring mix, but Romaine would be good, too.]
mayonnaise
sliced onion, optional [I omitted this.]

Cut the chicken breasts in half [the ones from Butcher’s Block are huge], then cut the larger end piece horizontally. Two large breasts will make enough for six sandwiches. We used three pieces for supper and had three leftover for lunches. If the chicken is thick, you can place it between plastic wrap and pound it flatter, so it cooks more evenly.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet till crispy. Set aside. Drain the extra grease off, then add a bit of olive oil to the skillet. Of course, you can just fry the chicken in the bacon grease if you like, but I prefer the healthier oil with just a hint of the bacon flavor left in the pan. If you’re going for A LOT healthier, you can leave the bacon out altogether. 🙂

Fry the chicken on both sides until done, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Don’t overcook it or it will dry, but be sure it is cooked thoroughly. I used my instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Perfect!

About.com says “Chicken should be cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees F. The meat will continue to cook after it’s removed from the heat; the internal temperature will rise about 5-10 degrees in the first few minutes it’s off the heat.”

Set the roll halves (cut side up) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. On the bottoms of the rolls, layer two bacon halves, chicken and cheese. Broil them and the roll tops (cut side up) 4-6 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. [You could do this in a toaster oven, if you have one.]

Top with lettuce (and onion, if desired). Spread mayonnaise on cut side of roll tops; replace tops, and serve.

We had oven fried potato wedges and seedless red grapes with our supper. Everyone thought the sandwiches were delicious, and the potato wedges (which we’ve had before) were greeted with enthusiasm! 🙂

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in Recipes | Tagged bacon-provolone chicken sandwich, recipe | Comments (2)

hearty lentil soup

January 19, 2010 – 8:08 pm

I made the Hearty Lentil Soup for supper and it is delicious. My thanks to Laura for sharing the recipe! I made some changes, leaving a few things out, and also added ham to the soup. The changes I made are shown below in bold. My version probably makes more than Laura’s as I used more tomatoes, more chicken stock and more lentils. The soup can be made in one pot, which I like. Not much clean up.

Hearty Lentil Soup

3 slices bacon (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 1/2cup) [DH is allergic to onions, so I substituted 2 T. dry onion flakes.]
1 c. celery, diced [I added this for a bit of bulk because I left out the onions.]
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 T.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained [I used a 29 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.]
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
1 cup (7oz) lentils du puy [I used a 16 oz. bag of brown lentils, as this is all that was available in our store.]
2 c. diced ham [I added this to the original recipe.]
1tsp. salt [I used maybe 1/4 tsp. salt because I added ham to the recipe and it contains salt.]
ground black pepper
1/2 c. dry white wine [I omitted this.]
4 1/2 c. chicken broth [I used 48 oz. chicken stock.]
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 T. minced fresh parsley leaves

Fry bacon in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add ~~onions~~, celery, and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, dry onion, and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in lentils, ham, salt, and pepper to taste; ~~cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes.~~

Uncover, increase heat to high, ~~add wine~~, and bring to simmer.

Add chicken broth and water; bring to boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30 to 35 minutes; discard bay leaf.

~~Puree 3 cups soup in blender until smooth, then return to pot~~; stir in vinegar and heat soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of the remaining parsley.

The balsamic vinegar is a great addition to this soup, adding wonderful flavor. I also liked the addition of the ham, but you can certainly leave that out, if you prefer.

This made a large pot of soup and we’ll have plenty of delicious leftovers. ~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in cooking, Recipes | Tagged cooking, hearty lentil soup, lentils, recipe, soup | Comments (2)

baked salmon with honey mustard glaze

January 18, 2010 – 9:16 pm

Salmon is easy to cook and delicious. Not to mention good for you! Joy, here’s the recipe you asked for. Next time I make this, I’ll take some pictures and update the post.

Baked Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze

2 salmon fillets
2 T. honey or brown sugar or maple syrup
2 T. Dijon mustard or other mustard
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 T. dry parsley flakes
2 T. Parmesan cheese

Here’s a picture to show the size of the fillets I use. Serves four. If you want to try the potatoes in the picture, check out this post…accordion potatoes.

Preheat oven to 400* for 10 – 15 minutes. It should be nice and hot when you put the salmon in. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, grease it with cooking spray.

Place fillets, skin side down on the baking sheet.

Mix the honey with the mustard and spread on the salmon.

Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over salmon.

Bake at 400* for 12-15 minutes. Salmon is done when it is opaque and flakes easily. Over baking will dry it out.

Want to make a really fast salmon dish? Spread salmon fillets with just the honey/mustard mixture (or honey-mustard salad dressing) and bake as above. Delicious.

Pecan-crusted Salmon is another delicious salmon recipe made with mayonnaise, pecans, bread crumbs, and Parmesan.

~~Rhonda 🙂

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in cooking, Recipes | Tagged cooking, recipe, salmon | Comments (0)

7 days of shooting ~ january 10 – 16

January 18, 2010 – 12:42 pm

This week’s theme on the flickr group 7 Days of Shooting was “double trouble.” The challenge was to shoot pictures of two of anything, following the daily focus.

Macro Sunday / shoot something small
Two pieces of DH’s delicious fudge