Spicy Roasted Potatoes

These are quick and delicious, and go well with practically anything!

Spicy Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, washed
3 T canola oil
1 T Season-All

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Quarter the potatoes and then slice into 1/4"-thick chunks.  Toss into a ziplock bag and add the oil and season-all. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes at 425F.  Turn potatoes over and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until crispy and lightly browned.

Serves 4-5. 

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

I think I don't make sandwiches enough.  I don't mean the peanut butter type, or the grilled cheese type, I mean yummy, good-for-you, chock full of stuff sandwiches.  After eating soups and heavy meats for a few days (snow-induced eating), we were all ready for something lighter.  After searching through my fridge, this is what I came up with.

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 cup mixed greens OR your favorite sandwich lettuce
1 large tomato, sliced
1 avocado, halved and pitted, then sliced into 1/8"-thick slices
Mayonnaise (I used the Mayo with Olive Oil, which tastes delicious and has less fat than original)
Dijon-style mustard
4 sandwich buns (I used whole wheat with poppy seeds)

Butterfly the chicken breasts by cutting them horizontally through the thickness, to create 4 evenly-sized pieces of chicken.  Place in a large ziplock bag and add vinegar, oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Seal tightly and shake to combine.  Let marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Grill the chicken on a grill or under a broiler for 4-6 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches 165-degrees F.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  If desired, slice into thin slices, or leave whole.
Spread thin layers of mayonnaise and mustard on top and bottom of buns.  Divide the salad greens amongst the buns, and then place chicken on top.  Add tomato and avocado, then the top of the bun. 
Serves 4.

Snow Cream

When presented with three snowstorms in a week, one of which threatens to be the biggest in recorded history in the DC area, what do you do? You make Snow Cream of course! It's akin to ice cream, but more like ice milk. It is delicious and delightfully easy. My 4-year-old son came home from pre-school raving about this recipe, which they had made together that day for snack time. This is the recipe as he told it to me:

"You need a big bowl, and you scoop up snow to put in it. But you have to wear gloves, and if there is any dirty snow you throw it out. Then you stir it and stir it and put in some milk, and some vanilla, I mean some vanilla flavor, and some sugar.  And then you stir it up, and it's snow cream!"

And that's pretty much what we did.  Here is a more formal (but less cute) recipe:

1 bowl of clean snow, about 4 cups or so
1/4-1/2 cup of milk (we used whole milk but you could probably use any kind)
1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring
1 tablespoon of sugar

Pour 1/4 cup of milk, as well as the vanilla and sugar, into the bowl of snow.  Stir well.  If it doesn't stir well, add more milk, up to an additional 1/4 cup, until desired consistency is reached.  Spoon into bowls and eat immediately.  Serves 4.

Here is a happy Snow Cream eater:

Peanut Butter Bars

My friend Bethany recently posted this recipe on her blog.  We went to school together growing up, and this was one of our favorite things that was served in the school cafeteria.  Everyone loved peanut butter bar day!  She found the actual recipe that the school used, and I have brought it here for your enjoyment!  As a warning, you should not be left alone with these unless you'd like to gain 15 pounds in one weekend!  Luckily I was able to send most of them to work with my husband, to spread the joy around a bit.  Enjoy!

School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars
This recipe is for a large 18x13" jellyroll pan.
For the cookie and peanut butter layer:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter, softened but not melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups peanut butter

Cream together the sugar, brown sugar, and butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Add the vanilla, eggs, and 1 cup peanut butter and mix well.  Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined.  Finally, stir in the oats until evenly distributed.  Spread the cookie dough on a greased 18x13" jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350F for 20-23 minutes, or until golden brown.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the 1 1/2 cups peanut butter on high for 15-20 seconds, until softened but not melted.  When the cookie layer comes out of the oven, spread the peanut butter layer over the cookie layer.  Cool completely.  Once cooled, spread the chocolate frosting (see below) on top.  Cut into 2" squares.

Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
4 T cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
4 T milk
4 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter over low heat in medium saucepan.  Gradually add all other ingredients and mix well.  Immediately spread frosting over cooled peanut butter bars, as the frosting will set very quickly.

Beef with Sugar Snap Peas

I was in the mood for something Chinese and found this recipe in one of my old Cooking Light magazines.  It was very quick to make and tasted fantastic, and had the bonus of having both carrots and peas in it, which made me feel happy about eating it as well.  Serve it over brown or white steamed rice.

Beef with Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients:
  
1 flank steak (about 12 oz)
2 T soy sauce, divided
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 t cornstarch
2 t sesame oil (can use olive or vegetable if you can't get sesame)
1 cup sliced onion (about 1 large)
2 t ground ginger
3 cups sugar snap peas (fresh or frozen)
1 cup shredded carrot (1-2 large carrots)

Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices, then cut into 2" lengths.  Combine stead and 1 T soy sauce; toss to coat.  Combine the remaining 1 T soy sauce with the chicken broth, hoisin, and cornstarch; stir well with a whisk. 

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add stead and saute 1 1/2 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove steak from pan.  Add onion and ginger to pan, saute 2 minutes.  Add peas and carrot, saute 2 minutes.  Stir back in steak and saute for 30 seconds.  Add broth mixture and bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.  Serve immediately over rice.  Serves 4.

Red Lentil Soup

When we lived in the Persian Gulf our church group put together a cookbook (thanks, Kristin!), and one of my favorite recipes from it is Red Lentil Soup, submitted by Michelle Jordan.  It's easy to make, only takes an hour to cook, and is delicious!  I especially love it on a snowy day, like we're having today.  We serve it with a dollop of plain yogurt on top (you could also use sour cream) and corn bread on the side. 

Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:  
2 T olive oil  
15-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp coriander
6 cups broth (chicken, beef, or veggie)
1 T lemon juice
1 lb red lentils (about 2 1/4 cups)
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes.  Serves 6.

Veggie Mini-Pies

Tonight I had no plans for dinner.  I have been trying to plan a whole week's worth of menus, but I really only tend to come up with about four for a whole week, and I was out of plans tonight.  I decided to see what fun thing I could come up with on the fly, and decided on making some individual-sized pot pies.  I was going to do chicken but all my chicken was frozen, so I went with just veggies.  You could, of course, use chicken (or any meat).  Just throw it in when the recipe says to put in the veggies.  The great thing about pies is you really could throw in or take out most of the solid ingredients and it would still taste great.  So tailor this to what you have in your kitchen, and enjoy a hot beautiful pie for dinner.  This is the recipe the way I made it.

Veggie Mini-Pies

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 cup peas, corn, or mixed vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup milk, divided
2 T flour
1/2 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425F.  Remove puff pastry from freezer and lay out to thaw.

In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add all vegetables, thyme and oregano and stir for 1 minute, then add 1/2 cup of milk.  Turn heat to medium and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until carrots are beginning to soften, stirring often.  Add the flour and stir in, then the water, broth, and rest of the milk.  Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a nice boil, then turn down to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, using your individual serving dishes as a guide, cut circles of the puff pastry that are about 1/8" larger than your dish. 

Taste the vegetable mixture and season with salt and pepper as desired.  Divide the vegetable mixture between your serving dishes (mine filled 4 8-oz souffle dishes).  Using the beaten egg, lightly coat the top rim of the serving dishes.  Place a round of puff pastry over each dish, pressing down the overhang, then use a fork to press the edges to the rim.  The overhang and the pressing insure the pastry won't shrink off the edges during baking. 

Brush more of the egg wash over the top of each pie, then place all dishes on a baking sheet.  Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, or until beautifully brown and crispy.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.