Meal Plan Update P2

I made the remaining dishes from my meal plan over the last couple days and will post my pics and thoughts. It's cool to see that at least a couple of you out there have tried some of them - but I'd love to hear about anyone else's experiences.

I have to say that the stuffed zucchini wasn't my favorite. It definitely had potential, but seemed to be missing some flavor. I will admit that I don't think I cut the potatoes small enough so they were still a little hard for my liking after cooking for the allotted time. Also, as I was making it, I realized that the middle parts of the zucchini that you remove are never added back into the recipe. This seemed a little strange to me. What are you supposed to do with all those good innards? So I chopped them up a little and added them to the pan a little before I added in the tomatoes. Maybe that ruined them, but I don't think so. My sister said she tried these with mashed potatoes and I think that may be the way to go here.

The stewed chicken was also not as good as I was hoping it would be. You never know with those Food Network recipes. Sometimes they are great and sometimes they can flop (okay it wasn't a flop but still). It was actually pretty easy to put together which you wouldn't think with the long ingredient list. Basically, everything is mixed together with the chicken to marinate overnight and the next day you don't have much left to do besides let it cook. My biggest complaint is that it was too oily. You could definitely cut down the amount of oil you brown the chicken in from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup and maybe even less. When it was finished, I was skimming off quite a bit of oil. Also, it was a little too soupy. I would have preferred a thicker sauce. Did anyone else try this one??

I was a little apprehensive about the steak with the romesco sauce just because it didn't look like something that I would normally make - or maybe it didn't sound as appealing. I'm not sure. However, the sauce was really delicious and simple to put together. After I made it, I tasted a bit while the steaks were broiling and wasn't sure if I liked it - but once you put some on the meat it's quite fantastic. I'm sure it would be equally good with other types of meat - pork loin or chicken for example. I used sirloin instead of skirt steak for mine because it was a lot less expensive and as you can see from the picture, it got a little well done due to a thermometer that broke during the cooking process. =( But that's another story. I have some extra sauce left, and think I'll mix it with some marina and put it over pasta. If you haven't already, give this recipe a try, especially the sauce.

P.S. Those are sweet potato fries (my fav) but as you can see are not orange. It would seem you can't find orange sweet potatoes here in Oregon anymore; maybe they are trying to distinguish themselves from yams. Is it like this for anyone else?

My favorite recipe of the meal plan was the salmon burgers followed by the steak with romesco sauce. Now that the meal plan updates are done, I've got quite a few summer fruit desserts to share so be prepared. I can't decide if I should do one big post with them all or split them up into a few posts. Any thoughts?

Meal Plan Update P1

Have you tried any of the recipes yet?? So far I've done two of them and both were quite yummy. Here are my pics - not as great as the original ones sadly - but it shows they are doable!

The breakfast pizza should actually be classified as the fast and easy recipe. I substituted the bacon for some pancetta that I needed to use and didn't have any scallions, so I used a leek and sauteed it with the pancetta to soften it. I used store bought crust and because of that there are just a couple of minor adjustments that need to be made. First, make sure you roll/flatten the crust thin. On her recipe, the baking time is around 10 minutes but the dough package will tell you at least 13. I wanted to make sure the dough was cooked through so I did the 13 minutes and by that point the eggs yolks weren't quite as soft as I would have preferred. So next time, I'd make sure the crust was thinner so I could cut the baking time by a few minutes. But it was still good.



The salmon burgers were not so fast. They are supposedly a 30 minute meal - but it took closer to an hour for me. However, they were fantastic! Mark really loved them. Make sure you get the right amount of the mayo mixture in with the salmon. I think I put a little too much in and so the patties were really soft and hard to get into the pan without having them fall apart. But once they were cooked, they stayed together quite well. Also, it says to cook on med-high heat, but the butter does burn pretty easy so I would put it on med and cook 4-5 min per side (vs. 3-4). Yum, yum. Definitely give these a try!

Weekly Meal Plan: Check

When people find out that I rarely make the same thing twice, they often ask me where I get all my recipes from. Of course I have my favorites, but the answer is from all over. In honor of the name of the blog, I'm doing an experiment. I am going to give you five different meal ideas that you can use for next week, including a shopping list to go with it. There will be plenty of variety, including some easier and some more time consuming recipes, that use fresh seasonal ingredients to make it easier on the wallet.
My hope is that everyone will try them (even if they don't sound like something you'd normally make) and then to get some good feedback on what everyone thought. Hopefully I can get comments from someone other than my sister and husband (love you for those though). I will try and pull from a few different online sources for these. Also, I have not tried these recipes either.

1st Meal: Easy and Fast
From Fine Cooking

Salmon Burgers with Herb Aioli

Get the Recipe

Serve with: Roasted Corn with Spiced Butter
Shuck 4 ears of corn for best results or drain 2 cans of corn and saute in skillet until kernels begin to turn a golden brown (some may begin to char). Mix 2 Tbsp. of butter with 1/4 tsp of each of the following: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and honey and 1/8 tsp of each of the following: mace, sage, cayenne, and thyme. Once corn is ready, melt half the butter with the corn and dollop the remaining butter on top when serving.


2nd Meal: Vegetarian
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ultimate Stuffed Zucchini

Get the Recipe

Serve with: Fresh Green Salad


3rd Meal: Ethnic
From Food Network

Stewed Chicken

Get the Recipe

Serve with: Basmati Rice
Put 2-3 cups of rice (and appropriate amount of water), 2 tsp. turmeric powder, and 2 tsp. butter in rice cooker.


4th Meal: Breakfast Inspired
From Smitten Kitchen

Breakfast Pizza

Get the Recipe

She makes her own pizza dough for this, but if your not up for the time that takes, go ahead and buy the refrigerated pizza dough.

5th Meal: Outdoor Friendly
From Fine Cooking

Grilled Skirt Steak with Quick Romesco Sauce

Get the Recipe

This can be cooked on a grill outside or for those of us who don't have that option, in a grill pan on the stove.

Serve with: Sweet Potato Fries
Cut approx. 2 lbs sweet potatoes into 1-inch wedges and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle cumin, paprika and salt to taste. Mix around and cook at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes or until soft and browned - flipping halfway through.


Shopping List
Grocery Store:
9 cloves of garlic
Chives (you need quite a bit so worth it to get fresh)
Dill (fresh is best, but can sub dry 1Tbsp. fresh=1tsp. dried)
Basil ("")
1 lemon
4 zucchinis
3 med. red potatoes
2 med. onions
7 med tomatoes
Bunch of scallions
1 bell pepper
Bunch of flat-leaf/Italian parsley
1 shallot
2 lb. sweet potatoes
4 ears of corn (best, but can sub 2 cans of corn)
Green Salad/Lettuce
Hamburger Buns
Sandwich Bread (need only 1 slice)
Basmati Rice (or preferred type)
7.5 oz. jar roasted red peppers (can usually find in aisle with pickles/jarred olives)
6 oz. shredded Monteray Jack cheese
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
6 Eggs
Refrigerated Pizza Dough (sub if you aren't making your own)
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lb. skirt steak
6 strips bacon
3 1/2 lb. chicken pieces
1 lb. salmon fillet (boneless and skinless)

Pantry (make sure you have everything on this list before going to the store)
Mayonnaise
Dijon Mustard
Lemon Juice (can sub for small amounts of fresh lemon juice if necessary)
Butter
Olive Oil
Ketchup
Cider Vinegar (can usually sub one type of vinegar for other types)
Sherry Vinegar
Sesame Oil (great investment if you do a lot of ethnic/Asian cooking)
Brown Sugar
Sugar
Yeast (if making your own pizza crust)
Flour (if making your own pizza crust)
Slivered Almonds
Honey

Spices:
Salt and Peper
Dill (if subbing for fresh)
Cayenne
Basil
Cumin
Curry Powder
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes
Sweet Paprika (smoked or not)
Turmeric (optional)
Mace
Sage

Happy Cooking! Stay tuned for a post on seasonal desserts. Yum.

Crunchy Outside, Juicy Inside

Orange-Curry Chicken with a Pecan Crust

In the past few months I have discovered the best cooking magazine ever: Fine Cooking. After buying one of their special issues during the holiday season (that had an amazing cover), I was hooked. I have now collected quite a few and absolutely love them! Every recipe I have made is either good or amazingly good, so be prepared for future recipes to come from this magazine. There is also a better chance that I will update this blog more since I can link it to their recipe online (click the title to get to the recipe).

I made this recipe last night when we had some friends over and it was a big hit. The marinade keeps the chicken so moist and the crumb coating is perfectly crunchy. I served it with lemon jasmine rice and coconut green bean stir-fry. Give it a try!

Car-ib-be-an or Ca-rib-be-an??

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad

1 tablespoon garlic oil or olive oil 1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk Rub 1 pound chicken tenders* 1 medium pineapple 1 red bell pepper 3 2 1 6 green onions (white and light green parts only) heads romaine lettuce can (15 oz.) black beans, drained slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled Dressing 2 limes 1/3- cup reduced-fat mayonnaise 2 tbsp. pineapple preserves (can use pineapple-apricot or even orange marmalade)

1.	In a bowl, whisk together oil and jerk rub with a whisk. Add chicken tenders; mix well to coat and set aside. Peel pineapple and cut in half lengthwise; reserve half for another use. Cut remaining pineapple in half lengthwise and remove core. Slice crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Heat a grill pan over medium heat 5 minutes. Add chicken; cook 3-5 minutes on each side, turning once. Remove from pan. Add pineapple to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side, turning once; remove from pan. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces; set chicken and pineapple aside.
2.	Thinly slice bell pepper and green onions. Arrange 12 large lettuce leaves on a platter. Chop remaining lettuce; set vegetables aside. Drain and rinse beans; set aside.
3.	For dressing, zest one lime. Juice both limes into a small bowl. Add lime zest, mayonnaise and preserves to bowl; mix well.
4.	Layer chopped lettuce, beans, bell pepper, chicken, pineapple, bacon and green onions over each lettuce leaf. Drizzle dressing over salad.
Makes 6 servings *If desired, 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips, can be substituted for the chicken tenders. You can also substitute the chicken for fish - Mahi Mahi works well. -For another version of this recipe, prepare recipe as directed, omitting lettuce. Cook 1 pound rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and toss with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add remaining ingredients; drizzle with dressing and toss gently.

This is my favorite salad recipe and have made it a few times (which is rare for me). Make sure you make the dressing and don't just use something you have because it was what makes all the other flavors come together. I've also made the pasta version and it is good too, but I most definitely prefer it as a salad.

My rating is a 9 out of 10
Mark isn't here but I think he'd probably give it a 7.5 or 8 - mainly because he's not really a big salad person. He may have even preferred the pasta version more.