Back in the Saddle

I took a cooking hiatus (not sure if you've noticed yet, but that's not really a rare event) when we had friends and family in town and were eating out or with family or whatever frequently, but I'm back with a few recipes I tried last week.

First, a funny story. Audrey loves getting the Scholastic book orders from school. Her teacher sends home all 8 or however many of them there are, from the one for babies (mostly board books in that one) all the way up to the one for high schoolers. She pores over all of them, and I generally let her choose a book or two to order every other time. Last month, there was a Rachael Ray kids' cookbook in one of the book orders that, being the huge Rachael Ray fans that we are, we just HAD to order. We were all looking forward to this book coming in. Finally, the big day came, and the books arrived. We had ordered 4 or 5 books, so Audrey carried them out in a grocery bag. She got in the car, and Rochelle (who was with us that weekend) started pulling the books out of the bag. We had Adam's truck book, Audrey's Mariposa book, a couple of the 99c special books, and then some random book I hadn't ordered, but no Rachael Ray. I was wondering aloud if I'd screwed up the order, or if they'd sent the wrong thing when, on the book I hadn't ordered, I noticed a sticker that said: "The book you ordered will arrive shortly. We hope you enjoy this gift while you wait!" Ah, mystery solved, the cookbook was on backorder. That was Friday. On Monday, Audrey's teacher walked her out to the car and said, "I'm sorry I didn't let you know on Friday your Rachael Ray book was on backorder. Audrey came in today and told me, 'My mom's missing Rachael Ray.'" I had actually forgotten, but Audrey hadn't! Wednesday, after school, Audrey came barreling out, waving the cookbook and calling, "It came! It came! Rachael Ray is here!" So, a lot excitement surrounding the Rachael Ray cookbook. It looks great, I'm just bummed that there aren't photos of the recipes. I know that's something the kids would really love, to be able to see the pictures and pick what we make from the photographs, rather than me having to read all the recipe titles to them. Still, it's been fun, and each night Audrey asks if we can make dinner from the Rachael Ray cookbook. We made these sloppy joes, and I loved them, but the kids found them a bit spicy with all the pepper from the steak seasoning (and that was after I cut the amount in half!). They did love the cheese fries (also from the cookbook) that went along with them (though we won't be having that particular heart attack on a plate all that often!).

Sloppy Turkey Joes
1 + 1/3 pounds ground turkey or ground turkey breast (1 pkg.)
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1 T. grill seasoning blend, such as Montreal Seasoning by McCormick or Mrs. Dash grill seasoning for poultry (I used 1/2 T., and the kids still found it too peppery)
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. tomato sauce (8 oz.)
4 crusty sandwich rolls, split

Brown turkey in oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dice onion and pepper and add to cooking meat. In a small bowl, mix grill seasoning blend, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce. Stir in to meat and lower heat. Simmer mixture for 10 mins. Serve on buns.

Cheese Fries (we only made a 1/2 recipe and it was plenty!)
1 sack frozen french fries, prepared to package directions
2 T. butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 + 1/2 c. whole milk (we used 1%, and it was just fine)
2 1/2 c. shredded yellow cheddar cheese (10 oz.)
1/4 c. ketchup

Bake fries according to package directions. While fries are baking, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute or so. Whisk in milk, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in the cheese. Once cheese has melted, remove from heat and stir in ketchup. Pour sauce over fries or serve sauce on the side for dipping.

This next recipe I found on one of my favorite new cooking blogs, The Daily Bite. Not only are the recipes delicious, they have step-by-step pictures and the writers are pretty witty. Check it out! This sweet and sour was great. I used chicken, rather than pork, because that was what I had. It came together quickly and was really yummy.

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

2 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided
1 Tbsp. cooking sherry or apple juice
1 lb. pork tenderloin or boneless pork chops, very thinly sliced
1/3 c. water
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. oil
1/3 c. chopped cashews (or exactly one of those little .99 bags of Fritos cashews at the front of the grocery store)
¼ c. green onions
2 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced or pressed
6-8 oz. snow peas, trimmed
1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained

Begin cooking your rice.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, sherry, and pork. Toss well.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup. Stir with a whisk; make sure there are no clumps with the cornstarch.

Now collect everything that's going into the stir fry next to the stove so you can access it easily.

Heat 1-2 Tbsp. canola oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add pork and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add nuts, onions, ginger, and garlic. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add snow peas and pineapple. Stir-fry 3 minutes more. Whisk sauce ingredients again and add to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Serve over hot rice.

I found some tilapia on sale at Smith's, so I picked it up. Cooking fish still intimidates me sometimes, probably because my mom didn't cook it for us all that often when I was growing up. Whenever I cook it, though, I think we should have it more often, because it just comes together and cooks up so quickly. This recipe was really good. The kids loved helping me - Audrey helped me mix up the Dijon sauce, and Adam stirred together the bread crumbs and Parmesan. The panko is great because it gives it a really nice crispy texture. I was able to coat 4 filets (probably about 4 oz. each) with this mixture, even though the recipe just states 2. We had it with Lemon Rice (also very good), steamed veggies, and salad.

Tilapia Dijon

Moist, flaky fish is topped with a saucy layer of lemon-Dijon butter and a crispy bread crumb coating to create a perfect harmony of tastes and textures. Make sure to use a nonstick skillet to prevent the breading from sticking to the pan.

2 (6-oz.) tilapia fillets

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/2 cup panko*

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Combine melted butter, mustard, parsley and lemon peel in small bowl; spread over both sides of tilapia. Combine panko and cheese in shallow dish; generously coat tilapia with crumbs.

2. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tilapia 8 to 10 minutes or until it just begins to flake, turning once.

TIP *Panko are coarse bread crumbs usually found next to other bread crumbs in the supermarket.

2 servings

PER SERVING: 300 calories, 8.5 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 40.5 g protein, 13.5 g carbohydrate, 100 mg cholesterol, 1510 mg sodium, 1.5 g fiber

Lemon Rice

Here's a great dish if you want rice with a little more pizzazz but not too overpowering......this is a great chicken accompaniment and serves 4ish.

* 1 cup uncooked rice
* 2 cups water
* 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
* 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoons oregano leaves
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place rice, water, butter and herbs in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer 20-25 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Serve.

This one was simple, but surprisingly, really good. Definitely halve the recipe, though. I did and still have lots left over!

Linguini with Ham, Peas, and Mushrooms

• 16 oz Linguine
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 scallions, including tops, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pkg. mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 oz baked ham, cubed (from freezer)
• 2 ½ cups frozen green peas, thawed
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a deep 12 inch skillet over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the scallions and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the remaining oil and sauté 3 minutes longer. Add the ham and sauté, stirring, for 12 minutes. Add the peas, stock and pepper, raise the heat to high, and boil uncovered, for 3 minutes or until the liquid is slightly reduced. Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter, drain the linguine and add to the skillet along with the cheese and toss lightly. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese on the side if desired.

The kids are big fans of Pear Sauce (like applesauce) that Grandma has at her house - she bought it from the wet pack cannery. I had some pears that were really bruised and looked unappetizing, so I decided to turn them into pear sauce. It turned out really good, and the house smelled great while the pears simmered. I blended it after the pears were cooked, and it was a huge hit with the kids!

Homemade Pear Sauce

• 5 pears
• 1/4 cup water
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla (I used 2)
• 1-2 tsp. sugar (I used 2 but would probably cut back a bit next time - the pears were already pretty sweet)
  

Wash, peel, core, and slice pears. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer, stirring occasionally until pears are tender. You may need to add more water if it cooks down. You may either serve these hot as slices or mash them up and serve them as hot or cold pear sauce.

I took this salad to a family gathering, and I thought it was great. The dressing, especially, is so light and fresh-tasting. I found this recipe on my sister's friend's cooking blog, Tasty Sensations.

Pomegranate, Pear and Avocado Salad

Salad:
2 bunches red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
2 avocados cut into ½ inch chunks
1 large pomegranate (seeds only)
2 pears, peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
1 block of Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (or use asiago, romano or parmesan for milder flavor)
1 bag almond slivers, toasted on low with butter and 1 heaping tsp. of sugar
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
Dressing:
½ t grated orange peel
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 T red wine vinegar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 T sugar
1 T Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix

Mix the dressing ingredients and chill before mixing with the salad. Toss immediately before serving.

Is that enough recipes to keep you busy for a while? ;)